Amylin Pharmaceuticals to Present Novel Data on Promising Obesity Pipeline at 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that new data for its pipeline obesity candidates will be presented at the 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society in Phoenix October 3-7. The Obesity Society’s annual meeting is one of the largest and most comprehensive scientific conferences in the field of obesity.

Amylin will present scientific data through 11 oral and poster presentations, showcasing progress in the company’s obesity pipeline. In addition to Amylin’s lead clinical-stage programs in obesity, pramlintide/metreleptin and AC2307, new findings will also be presented on various preclinical programs, including a new Y-family mimetic and Amylin’s peptide hybrid (phybrid) platform. Additional information will be presented during two corporate-sponsored symposia focused on the emerging peptide hormone approach to the treatment of obesity and the new science and therapeutic research that shows promise to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“We are excited to present our latest work on the obesity front at this year’s Obesity Society meeting, and will be sharing compelling data that demonstrates how our programs have the potential to provide significant weight loss that can be sustained over time,” said Daniel Bradbury, president and chief executive officer at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “Our unique neurohormonal approach to obesity, and our deep expertise in peptide hormones, enables us to develop drugs that may help regulate how many calories we eat, burn and store as fat by mimicking the effects of naturally occurring hormones. Amylin’s approach has the potential to achieve significant weight loss with a reduced risk for side effects that are often seen with other obesity treatments.”

   KEY AMYLIN ACTIVITIES AT THE OBESITY SOCIETY MEETING    1.  Invited symposium presentation: "Therapeutic Potential of Leptin in       General Obesity: A New, Integrated Neurohormonal Approach" will be       presented by Christian Weyer, MD, Vice President, Corporate       Development for Diabetes and Obesity at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,       as part of a symposium entitled "Leptin: From Bench to Bedside" on       Sunday, October 5 from 3:45-5:30 p.m. PT (6:45 p.m. ET). This       symposium is part of the conference's core scientific program.    2.  Oral 64-OR: "Enhanced weight loss following pramlintide/metreleptin       combination treatment in overweight and obese subjects is accompanied       by improved control of eating" will be presented by Steve Smith, MD,       Sunday, October 5 at 11:45 a.m. PT (2:45 p.m. ET).    3.  Poster 323-P: "Safety of 360 ug pramlintide BID treatment for up to 2       years" will be presented by Nicole Kesty, PhD, Saturday, October 4 at       5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET).    4.  Poster 592-P: "Changes in weight and binge eating scale scores in       obese subjects treated with pramlintide as monotherapy and in       combination with oral weight loss agents" will be presented by Fulton       Velez, MD, Sunday, October 5 at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).    5.  Poster 205-P: "Effects of amylin/leptin lead-in on the weight-reducing       effects of amylin and/or leptin in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats" will       be presented by Chunli Lei, Saturday, October 4 at 5 p.m. PT       (8 p.m. ET).    6.  Poster 651-P: "AC2307, an amylin mimetic, reduced 24-h food intake in       obese subjects without changing subjective perceptions of hunger and       fullness" will be presented by Nico Pannacciulli, MD, PhD, Sunday,       October 5 at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).    7.  Poster 489-P: "Central activation and weight-lowering actions of       AC164209, a peptide hybrid linking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)       receptor agonist and an amylin mimetic" will be presented by Christine       Mack, PhD, Sunday, October 5 at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).    8.  Corporate-sponsored symposium: "Emerging Peptide Hormone Therapies for       the Treatment of Obesity: Mechanisms of Action, Clinical Safety and       Efficacy." This medical educational symposium will help healthcare       providers understand the peptide hormone approach to the treatment of       obesity. The event will be chaired by George A. Bray, MD, MACP,       Saturday, October 4 at 7:15 p.m. PT (10:15 p.m. ET).  This symposium       is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Amylin       Pharmaceuticals.    9.  Corporate-sponsored symposium: "Reducing CVD Risk: Emerging Science       and Therapeutic Options in the Management of Obesity and Type 2       Diabetes." This medical education symposium will help healthcare       providers understand new science and therapeutic options to reducing       cardiovascular disease risk in the treatment of obesity and type 2       diabetes. The event will be chaired by Robert H. Eckel, MD, Monday,       October 6 at 5:45 p.m. PT (8:45 p.m. ET). This symposium is supported       by an unrestricted educational grant from Amylin Pharmaceuticals and       Eli Lilly and Company.    

A full list of all Amylin abstracts being presented at the 2008 Obesity Society meeting is available at: http://www.obesity.org/annualmeeting08/OS_Phoenix08_Final_Program.pdf .

About Obesity

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects millions of people and is linked to increased health risk of several medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep disorders and several types of cancers. According to The Obesity Society, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The total direct and indirect cost attributed to overweight and obesity health issues exceeds $100 billion in the United States each year. Obesity is also rapidly becoming a major health problem in all industrialized nations and many developing countries.

Amylin’s Approach to Obesity Research and Development

Physicians and patients seeking prescription medications for weight loss have limited therapeutic options. New scientific advances have established the key role of neurohormones in regulating appetite and energy balance, as well as the importance of studying the interaction among these hormones (within the brain) to uncover their full therapeutic potential. Amylin scientists discovered that combination treatment with neurohormones such as amylin and leptin can produce additive and synergistic weight loss in animal models. These findings formed the basis for Amylin’s innovative integrated neurohormonal approach to the development of obesity treatments.

About Pramlintide/Metreleptin Combination Treatment

Pramlintide acetate is a synthetic analog of the natural hormone amylin, a neurohormone secreted by the pancreas that is known to play a role in the regulation of appetite, food intake and postprandial glucose concentrations. Pramlintide is the active ingredient in SYMLIN(R) (pramlintide acetate) injection, which is indicated for use by patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who use mealtime insulin and who have failed to achieve desired glucose control despite optimal insulin therapy. Since launch, over 110,000 patients have been treated with SYMLIN. To date, approximately 8,000 individuals have received pramlintide in clinical trials, including more than 950 in obesity studies. Metreleptin (methionyl recombinant leptin; r-metHuLeptin) is an analog of human leptin, a neurohormone secreted by fat cells that plays a fundamental role in the regulation of energy metabolism and body weight. To date, more than 1,200 overweight or obese individuals have received metreleptin in clinical trials, several of which were 16 weeks or longer in duration.

Preclinical and clinical evidence published recently in PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, demonstrates that, when pramlintide and metreleptin are administered in combination, leptin responsiveness is at least partially restored by amylin agonism. Experiments in diet-induced obese rats co-administrated with amylin and leptin resulted in synergistic reductions in food intake (up to 45%) and body weight (up to 15%), effects considerably greater than with leptin or amylin treatment alone. Weight loss with amylin/leptin treatment was fat- specific, and not accompanied by a reduction in lean mass. Translational clinical research confirms that findings in the non-clinical experiments are relevant to human obesity and suggest that metreleptin and pramlintide may be effective partners to pramlintide in the treatment of obesity. The most common side effects with the pramlintide/metreleptin combination treatment were injection site adverse events and nausea, which were mostly mild to moderate and transient in nature.

Important Safety Information for SYMLIN(R)

SYMLIN is not intended for all patients with diabetes. SYMLIN is used with insulin and has been associated with an increased risk of insulin-induced severe hypoglycemia, particularly in patients with type 1 diabetes. When severe hypoglycemia associated with SYMLIN use occurs, it is seen within three hours following a SYMLIN injection. If severe hypoglycemia occurs while operating a motor vehicle, heavy machinery, or while engaging in other high- risk activities, serious injuries may occur. Appropriate patient selection, careful patient instruction, and insulin dose adjustments are critical elements for reducing this risk. This information is highlighted in a boxed warning in the SYMLIN prescribing information for healthcare professionals and in a medication guide for patients, which will be distributed by pharmacists.

Other adverse events commonly observed with SYMLIN when co-administered with insulin were mostly gastrointestinal in nature, including nausea, which was the most frequently reported adverse event. The incidence of nausea was higher at the beginning of SYMLIN treatment and decreased with time in most patients. The incidence and severity of nausea are reduced when SYMLIN is gradually increased to the recommended doses.

About Amylin Pharmaceuticals

Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving lives through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines. Amylin has developed and gained approval for two first- in-class medicines, SYMLIN(R) (pramlintide acetate) injection and BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection. Amylin’s research and development activities leverage the company’s expertise in metabolism to develop potential therapies to treat diabetes and obesity. Amylin is headquartered in San Diego, California with over 2,000 employees nationwide. Further information on Amylin Pharmaceuticals is available at http://www.amylin.com/.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Amylin, which involve risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those discussed due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including that our clinical trials may not start when planned and/or confirm previous results; our preclinical studies may not be predictive; our product candidates may not receive regulatory approval; and inherent scientific, regulatory and other risks in the drug development and commercialization process. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the Company’s most recently filed SEC documents, including its Form 10-Q. Amylin undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

CONTACT: Alice Izzo of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, +1-858-642-7272, Cell,+1-858-232-9072, [email protected]; or Rachel Martin of Edelman,+1-323-202-1031, Cell, +1-323-373-5556, [email protected], for AmylinPharmaceuticals

Web site: http://www.amylin.com/

TorreyPines Therapeutics Reports Successful End-of-Phase II Meeting With FDA for Tezampanel

LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ — TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it held a successful End-of-Phase II meeting for tezampanel with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 29, 2008. Based on a review of the Phase II data, the FDA agreed that TorreyPines may initiate a Phase III program for tezampanel in acute migraine. The FDA also confirmed that the required thorough QT/QTc study for tezampanel can be conducted in parallel with the first Phase III pivotal trial. The timing for initiation of a Phase III trial is dependent on the company securing a development partner or funding for the program.

The FDA meeting follows the successful completion of a 306-patient, Phase IIb acute migraine trial that demonstrated a single 40 mg dose of tezampanel was safe, well-tolerated and effective in relieving headache pain at two hours post-dose. The Phase III clinical trial design for tezampanel will evaluate the 40 mg dose as well as a lower dose, consistent with the FDA recommendation that the lowest effective dose should be identified in the development of investigational drugs.

“We are pleased with the outcome of our meeting with the FDA and their go-ahead for a Phase III program,” said Ev Graham, acting chief executive officer of TorreyPines. “This successful milestone, the first in a series of clinical milestones we expect to meet this year, should significantly help us achieve our strategy of securing a corporate partner or other funding to continue development of tezampanel. We are also on track to report by the end of the year, data from our ongoing Phase I study of NGX426, the oral prodrug of tezampanel, in a capsaicin model of hyperalgesia, as well as a Phase II study of NGX267, our muscarinic agonist, in xerostomia secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome.”

About Tezampanel and NGX426

Tezampanel is the first AMPA/kainate-type glutamate receptor antagonist to be studied in clinical trials for chronic pain, including migraine. Glutamate receptors mediate the functioning of glutamate, an important excitatory neurotransmitter. While normal glutamate production is essential, excess glutamate production, either through injury or disease, can have a range of pathological effects. By acting at both the AMPA and kainate receptor site to competitively block the binding of glutamate, tezampanel and its oral prodrug, NGX426, have the potential to treat a number of diseases and disorders. These include migraine and other forms of chronic pain such as neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia, as well as muscle spasticity and rigidity, thrombosis and epilepsy.

About TorreyPines Therapeutics

TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company committed to providing patients with better alternatives to existing therapies through the research, development and commercialization of small molecule compounds. The company’s goal is to develop versatile product candidates, each capable of treating a number of acute and chronic diseases and disorders such as migraine, chronic pain, muscle spasticity, xerostomia and cognitive disorders. The company is currently developing four product candidates: two ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists and two muscarinic receptor agonists. Further information is available at http://www.torreypinestherapeutics.com/.

This press release contains forward-looking statements or predictions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the timing for initiating a Phase III program for tezampanel in acute migraine, the potential for tezampanel and NGX426 as treatments for acute migraine and other indications, the potential for NGX426 to be analgesic, the anticipated timing of results for the NGX426 study in a model of capsaicin-induced pain, the potential for NGX267 as a treatment for xerostomia secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome, the anticipated timing of results from the study of NGX267 as a treatment for xerostomia secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome, and the ability to partner any of the company’s product candidates or programs. Such statements are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause TorreyPines’ actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including whether any preclinical studies or clinical trials, either ongoing or conducted in the future, will prove successful, and if successful, whether the results can be replicated; whether safety and efficacy profiles of any of the company’s product candidates will be established, or if established, will remain the same, be better or worse in future clinical trials, if any; whether pre-clinical results will be substantiated by ongoing or future clinical trials, if any, or whether any of the company’s product candidates will be able to improve the signs or symptoms of their respective clinical indication; whether any of the company’s product candidates will support a filing for marketing approval, will be approved by the regulatory authorities, or if approved, will prove competitive in the market; or whether the necessary financing to support the company’s product development programs will be available. In particular there is no guarantee that clinical trials of any of the company’s product candidates will be completed on schedule or that results of these clinical trials will be reported within the anticipated timeframe, that tezampanel or NGX426 will successfully treat migraine and/or other indications for which they are developed, that NGX267 will successfully treat xerostomia secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome, that TorreyPines will be able to complete the necessary development work and receive regulatory approval for tezampanel, NGX426 or NGX267 or that TorreyPines will be able to reach agreement with a partner for any of the product candidates or programs on terms that are acceptable to TorreyPines. These and other risks which may cause results to differ are described in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of TorreyPines’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and TorreyPines other SEC reports. The forward-looking statements are based on current information that is likely to change and speak only as of the date hereof.

    Company Contact:    Paul Schneider    TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.    858-623-5665, x125    [email protected]     Media Contact:    David Schull    Russo Partners, LLC    212-845-4271    [email protected]     Investor Contact:    Rhonda Chiger    Rx Communications    917-322-2569    [email protected]  

TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.

CONTACT: Paul Schneider of TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc.,+1-858-623-5665, ext. 125, [email protected]; or media,David Schull of Russo Partners, LLC, +1-212-845-4271,[email protected], or investors, Rhonda Chiger of RxCommunications, +1-917-322-2569, [email protected], both for TorreyPinesTherapeutics, Inc.

Web site: http://www.torreypinestherapeutics.com/

Living With the Scars of Abuse

By THOMAS, Kim

New Zealand’s mental health system has a dark history, with hundreds of former patients alleging abuse in state hospitals. KIM THOMAS tells the story of one woman who suffered abuse and explores what former patients are doing to try and take back their lives. — —————–

Ursula spent her 22nd birthday huddling near naked in the corner of a bare room at Christchurch’s Sunnyside Hospital.

She was incarcerated at the now defunct mental-health hospital for slicing her arms from wrist to armpit with razors.

During her year-long stay at Sunnyside, Ursula (not her real name) was abused and humiliated.

For at least two months she was housed in an isolation room where she was stripped, sometimes by male nurses, and dressed in a thick woollen smock as punishment for her rowdy behaviour.

Her underpants and bra were taken from her and she was forced to use a pot as her toilet, in a room visible to staff and other patients.

More than 20 years later the scars of Ursula’s Sunnyside experience are still as visible as the razor marks lacing her arms. She is not alone.

Scores of former Sunnyside patients have disclosed abuse during their stay at the Gothic-style institution.

Nationwide, about 300 former patients claim abuse in mental hospitals during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Many were sent to psychiatric institutions because of behavioural difficulties but then treated as if they had serious psychiatric illnesses. Some were as young as eight.

Allegations include physical and sexual abuse, long periods of solitary confinement and the use of electro- convulsive (electric shock) therapy (ECT) as punishment.

In 2004, Attorney-General Margaret Wilson announced the establishment of a confidential forum where former patients, their families and hospital staff could tell their stories.

It recently announced a new forum, called the Listening and Assistance Service, for people who allege abuse or neglect during their time in state care in the health, child welfare or residential special education sector before 1992.

Justice and compensation is also being pursued in the law courts.

Wellington lawyer Sonia Cooper represents about 200 of 300 former psychiatric patients, including Ursula, seeking compensation for abuse.

They filed their first claims for compensation in 2004 but the matter remains unresolved. Cooper says she tried to negotiate with the Government out of court but failed.

In the latest chapter of this long running legal process, the Court of Appeal recently passed a judgment saying the Government had to prove that the actions former patients say was abuse was actually treatment, Cooper says.

“We want an acknowledgement that this abuse happened and an apology. If the Crown had been willing to deal with this out of the courts we wouldn’t be pursuing legal action,” Cooper says.

The Government has already made one large settlement to former psychiatric patients; in 2001, 183 former patients of Lake Alice’s adolescent unit received an apology and a share of $10.7 million compensation for claims including receiving ECT and injections as punishment, sexual abuse, ECT on the genitals in several cases, and one of being locked in a cage with a deranged adult.

About 240 civil cases are still pending.

A Crown Law office spokeswoman says it is reading the very complicated Crown Law judgement to decide what steps to take next.

Ursula says she would be dead had she stayed longer in Sunnyside. She sought legal counsel and had herself checked out of the hospital.

Ursula has a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. She says 20 years ago the disorder was poorly understood.

As a result, treatment for her self- harm and erratic behaviour involved being put into an isolation cell as punishment. Good behaviour was rewarded with treats such as winning her underwear back.

For a sexual abuse victim such as Ursula, being stripped was the ultimate in humiliation.

“I saw it as an extension of the brutality I had already had forced on me.”

She says she cannot believe the way people such as herself were treated in an environment that was supposed to be therapeutic.

Sunnyside was demolished last year. But even after its demise it holds a significant and sinister place in Christchurch’s collective conscience.

Christchurch theatre director Tony McCaffrey has recently secured Creative New Zealand funding to develop a play based on the goings on in the former mental-health hospital, which he hopes to open the stage curtains on next year.

As part of his research McCaffrey visited the ruins of the old hospital and pored over patient log books and photographs.

He also interviewed former nurses, superintendents and patients.

“I believe it’s important to acknowledge the huge role Sunnyside played in Christchurch’s history and craft a memorial to that,” McCaffrey says.

“Since I started this project almost everyone I talk to has some connection to the place, whether they knew someone who worked there or stayed there. Everyone has a story.”

McCaffrey says Sunnyside housed people from all walks of life and the way they were treated is an insight into the community’s psyche over the past century.

Sunnyside’s history also provides a window into the dark history of Christchurch because of some of the inhumane acts that happened there.

Mental Health Foundation chief executive Judi Clements said abuse that occurred in institutions is a crying shame.

She says many staff from those times still feel ill at the things that went on.

However, they were often only doing what they were told or what was best practice at the time, Clements says. In time, people will probably look back at certain practices which occur in the mental health sector now, such as electric shock therapy, and condemn them as cruel or unnecessary.

——————–

(c) 2008 Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

ECRI Institute Unveils Comprehensive Patient Safety Organization (PSO) Services

To: TECHNOLOGY EDITORS

Contact: Laurie Menyo of ECRI Institute, +1-610-825-6000, ext. 5310, [email protected]

Reporting systems, in-depth analysis, interactive toolkits with solutions and recommendations drawing on experience working with more than 1 million event reports

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Anticipating the release of final regulations for the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005,ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches best approaches to improve patient care, will preview its new Patient Safety Organization (PSO) services at the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) annual conference, October 2 to 5, 2008.

ECRI Institute, with 40 years of experience operating healthcare problem reporting systems and safety initiatives, will offer PSO membership programs, as well as support for other PSOs. PSO services are based on applied research, interactive tools, a learning network, and a reporting platform powered by rL Solutions. To enable healthcare providers to learn from near misses and adverse events and to improve patient care, the PSO provides incident report collection and analysis; culture-of-safety recommendations; best practices library, advisories and publications; continuing medical education; and ready-to-use toolkits.

Driving change is the focus of our PSO, says Jeffrey C. Lerner, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, ECRI Institute. Change means improved patient safety — even the reimbursement system now recognizes this, but improved care is the true positive return on investment from participation.

The reporting platform is powered by rL Solutions, a leading software company with deep experience in adverse event reporting, whose systems are used by more than 500 healthcare clients, including some of the largest and most forward thinking healthcare organizations in the United States. The platform will provide a secure way for ECRI Institutes PSO to accept data from providers using any electronic system, as well as to provide an intuitive interface for manual entry.

Improving the safety of healthcare through software is the core focus of our organization, says Sanjay Malaviya, President and Chief Executive Officer of rL Solutions. Working with ECRI Institute to effect positive change on this scale is a tremendous opportunity.

ECRI Institutes analytics team, with experience handling more than 1 million adverse event reports, understands not just what reports say, but also want they dont say. We conduct research on best practices and the evidence behind solutions; we examine organizational dynamics and the care processes behind the event reports, says John R. Clarke, M.D., Clinical Director, Patient Safety and Quality, ECRI Institute. As a result, we identify causes and contributing factors that are sometimes not apparent to the reporters themselves.

For more information about ECRI Institutes Patient Safety Organization, visit www.ecri.org/PSO, e-mail [email protected], or call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5389.

About ECRI Institute

For 40 years, ECRI Institute has operated a medical device problem reporting system used by hospitals and other providers around the world, as well as other broad patient safety reporting and analysis systems for public and private entities. The Institute has a long history of investigating events and publishing authoritative risk reduction strategies. ECRI Institute is designated as an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and a Collaborating Center for Patient Safety, Risk Management, and Healthcare Technology by the World Health Organization. ECRI Institute has developed and implements the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System, a mandatory error and near-miss reporting program for Pennsylvania hospitals and other healthcare facilities, under contract to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, winner of the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Award. For more information, visit www.ecri.org.

About rL Solutions

rL Solutions provides proven risk management, patient feedback, claims, and infection control software to help healthcare organizations improve patient safety and healthcare quality. rL Solutions brings together innovative technologies, stellar client service, and a broad ecosystem of partners to give its 500 clients a complete safety and quality solution. With products that are easy to use and easy to implement, rL Solutions is a world leader in the healthcare market. For more information, visit www.rL- solutions.com.

SOURCE ECRI Institute

(c) 2008 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Girl Scouts of Maine to Hold Harvest Festival

BRIDGTON – Girl Scouts of Maine will host a Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Camp Pondicherry.

“Harvest Fest gives us the opportunity to meet new people and to let them know what Girl Scout activities are going on in their community,” said Anne Randall, outdoor program director for Girl Scouts of Maine. “The event is open to Girl Scout members and nonmembers alike – it’s a great family outing.”

The festival will feature an extravaganza of outdoor fall activities, including cider-making and craft projects demonstrations, archery, hayrides and hiking. participants will have warm donuts baked the Girl Scout way – in a Dutch oven.

The fee is $1 a person. Girls must be accompanied by an adult.To register, contact Sandy at 772-1177 or 888-922-4763.

(c) 2008 Sun-Journal Lewiston, Me.. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Examine the World Intranasal Drug Delivery Market

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Pharmaceutical industry industry is available in its catalogue.

World Intranasal Drug Delivery Market

http://www.reportlinker.com/p092577/World-Intranasal-Drug-Delivery-Market.html

This report analyzes the US market for Intranasal Drug Delivery in US$ Million. The product is analyzed by the following Therapeutic Areas: Allergic Infections, Analgesics, Osteoporosis, and Vaccinations. Annual forecasts are provided for the period of 2000 through 2015. The report profiles 78 companies including many key and niche players such as Aegis Therapeutics LLC, Alza Corporation, AptarGroup, Inc., Archimedes Pharma, AstraZeneca Plc, MedImmune, Inc., Bayer Consumer Care, Bespak Plc, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Intranasal Therapeutics, Inc., Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kurve Technology, Inc., Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc., Novartis AG, OptiNose AS, Pfizer, Inc., Rexam Plc, Schering-Plough Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis S.A., and Unigene Laboratories, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.

 INTRANASAL DRUG DELIVERY MCP-1795  A US MARKET REPORT  CONTENTS  I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS  Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1  Disclaimers I-2  Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-2  Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-2  Product Definitions And Scope of Study I-3  II. A US MARKET REPORT  1. Industry Overview II-1  Drug Delivery: A Quick Primer II-1  The Nose: An Attractive Avenue to Cross the Blood Brain Barrier II-1  Self-Administration of Drugs Brings Intranasal Drug Delivery  Into the Spotlight II-2  Research & Technology Opens Up New Therapeutic Areas for  Nasal Drug Delivery II-2  Recent Product Developments in the US Intranasal Drug  Delivery Market (2007) II-2  Table 1: The US Nasal Drug Delivery Market: Sales Of Top Six  Nasal Formulations for The Year 2005 (In US$ Million)  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-3  R&D: Critical to the Commercialization of Intranasal Drug  Delivery II-3  Tight Junction Biology: A Key Speed Breaker in  Commercialization II-3  RNA Interference (RNAi): A Tool To Manipulate Tight Junctions II-4  Why Is Nasal Drug Delivery the Theme of All Drug Delivery  Research Projects? II-4  Nasal Drug Delivery Devices & Equipments II-4  Preservative Free Systems (P.F.S.) II-4  Traditional Vs Advanced Intranasal Drug Delivery Devices II-6  Pitfalls Of Traditional Delivery Devices II-6  The Promise of New Advanced Delivery Devices II-6  Bi-Directional Nasal Drug Delivery: A Technology With a  Huge Potential II-6  Benefits of Bi-Directional Delivery Authenticated Through  Research Studies II-7  Market for Nasal Spray Devices in the US II-7  GSK Wields the Leadership Scepter in the US Intranasal Drugs  Market II-8  The Batting Order II-8  Table 2: US Market for Intranasal Drug Delivery  (2004-2006): Percentage Market Share Breakdown of Leading  Players - GlaxoSmithKline, Schering-Plough, AstraZeneca,  Sanofi-Aventis, and Others (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-8  2. Market Dynamics II-9  Innovation in Drug Delivery: A Talisman For Success II-9  Controlled Release Technology Is the Buzz Word II-9  Target-Specific Delivery Devices: Of Critical Value II-9  Safety and Cost: Primary Growth Drivers II-9  Preservatives Losing Sheen in Nasal Spray Formulations II-10  Multi-Dose Containers Evolve to Offer Resistance Against  Microbial Contamination II-10  Bioavailability: An Important Facet of Intranasal Drug Delivery II-10  Chemical Modification II-10  Transient Modification & Limited Enzymatic Activity II-11  Bioavailability of Large Molecules II-11  Bio-Adhesive Polymers: Useful in Increasing Drug Absorption II-11  Mixed Opinions on Efficiency of Calcitonin Nasal Spray II-11  Nasal Preparations Gaining Foothold in Cough and Allergic  Categories II-11  Patent Expiries Impact Market Opportunities II-12  3. Technology Overview II-13  Intranasal Drug Delivery: A Descriptive Exposition II-13  Nasal Physiology II-13  Challenges Involved In Formulating Nasal Drugs II-14  The Importance of Bioadhesion II-15  Challenges Involved In Designing Devices II-15  Overview on the Traditional Drug Administration Routes,  Molecular Weight Capabilities, and Dosage Range II-15  Intranasal Drugs - Prescription (Rx) and Over-the- Counter (OTC) II-16  Differences Between Systemic Delivery and Local Effects II-16  Nasal Powders Vs Sprays II-16  Nasal Drug Delivery Devices II-17  Types of Drug Delivery Devices II-17  Droppers II-17  Sprays II-17  Aerosol Containers/Inhalers II-17  Pumps II-18  Nasal Aspirator II-18  Intranasal Drug Delivery Vis-a-vis Other Delivery Techniques II-18  Table 3: US Market for Intranasal Drugs: Percentage share of  Topical and Systemic Drugs by value for the Years 2006 and  2012 II-18  Limitations of Intranasal Drug Delivery II-19  Allergy II-19  Definition II-19  Symptoms II-19  Allergic Rhinitis II-20  Nasal Allergies II-20  Table 4: US Market for Nasal Sprays, Drops and Inhalers: Top  10 Brands Ranked by Dollar Sales Through Drug Stores for the  Year Ended January 2008 (In US $ Million) (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-20  Table 5: US Market for Nasal Sprays, Drops and Inhalers: Top  10 Brands Ranked by Unit Sales Through Drug Stores for the  Year Ended January 2008 (In Thousand Units) (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-21  Table 6: US Market for Nasal Sprays: Top Five Nasal Sprays  for Cough, Cold, Sinus and Allergy Ranked by Dollar Retail  Sales for the Year Ended January 2008 (In US $ Million)  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-21  4. Nasal Drugs: An Overview II-22  Nasal Drugs For Allergies II-22  Corticosteroid Nasal Sprays II-22  Flonase II-22  Patanase II-22  Beconase II-22  Other Nasal Corticosteroid Drugs II-23  Antihistamine Nasal Sprays II-23  Astelin Nasal Spray II-23  Otrivin Nasal Spray II-23  Livostin Nasal Spray II-23  Other Nasal Antihistamine Drugs II-23  Other Brands of Allergy Relievers II-24  Nasal Drugs for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis II-24  Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray II-24  Miacalcin Nasal Spray II-24  Fortical(R) Nasal Spray II-24  Intranasal Pain Management Drugs II-24  Stadol Nasal Spray II-25  Rylomine II-25  Imitrex II-25  Migranal II-26  Zolmitriptan Nasal Spray II-26  Intranasal Analgesics For Treating Migraine II-26  Select Intranasal Pain Management Products in Development II-26  Intranasal Vaccination II-27  Process of Intranasal Immunization II-27  Market Drivers II-28  "LAIV" Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine II-28  FluMist(R) Vaccine From MedImmune II-28  Intranasal Drugs for Sexual Dysfunction II-29  Table 7: US Market for Intranasal Drugs: Projected Revenues  for Intranasal Sexual Dysfunction Drugs for the Years 2010  through 2012 in US$ Million (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-29  Nasal Spray for Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency II-30  Nasal Spray for Aiding Smoking Cessation II-30  Intranasal Drugs In the Pipeline II-30  5. Research & Development II-31  Nastech Enrolls 551 Patients for Phase 2 Trials of PYY3-36  Nasal Spray II-31  Archimedes Pharma Commences Phase III Trials for NasalFent(R) II-31  Archimedes Presents New Clinical Data on NasalFent(R) II-31  LigoCyte Commences Clinical Trials for Intranasal Norovirus  Vaccine II-31  Javelin Pharmaceuticals Reveals Phase 2 Study Results for  PMI-100/150 II-31  Javelin Pharmaceuticals Commences Phase III Studies for PMI-150 II-32  Nastech Commences Phase 2 Trials for Insulin Nasal Spray II-32  ACAAI Reveals Results for Trials of Nasacort(R) AQ Nasal Spray  in Children II-32  TGAR01H from Fabre Kramer II-33  Aegis Therapeutics Completes First Human Clinical Study on  Intravail(R) II-33  Nastech Pharmaceutical Presents Clinical Test Results on  Parathyroid Hormone II-33  Zolmitriptan Promises Relief for Cluster Headaches II-33  CAIV-T: More Effective than Injectable Influenza Vaccines II-34  Intranasal Therapeutics Conducts Study on Midazolam II-34  Nastech Announces Phase I Results of Insulin Nasal Spray II-34  Archimedes Completes Phase II Trials of NASALFENT II-35  Intranasal Corticosteroid Proven Effective for Treating  Allergic Rhinitis II-35  Aegis Files DMF for Intravail II-35  Nasal Sprays: A New-Generation Treatment for Gynecological  Problems II-35  Aegis Therapeutics Conducts Feasibility Study on Drug Delivery  Technology II-36  GelVac Powder Delivery System Completes Phase I Clinical Trial II-36  DelSite Files DMF with the FDA II-37  OptiNose Develops Intranasal Delivery System for Osteoporosis II-37  Nastech Initiates Dose Ranging Study of PYY(3-36) II-37  Valois Develops New Nasal Dispensing System II-37  Rigel Pharmaceuticals to Initiate R112 Phase II Clinical Trial II-38  MedPointe Pharmaceuticals Demonstrates ACT1 Study Results on  ASTELIN(R) II-38  Bentley Pharmaceuticals Demonstrates Clinical Trial Results of  its Intra Nasal Insulin Spray II-38  6. Recent Technological Developments II-39  New-Generation Technologies and Devices II-39  ViaNase from Kurve Technology II-39  A New Product from OptiNose II-39  Nastech's "Tight Junction Biology" Research Program II-40  ChiSys(TM) Nasal Delivery Technology from Archimedes II-40  7. Product Innovations/Introductions II-41  Aegis Therapeutics Develops ProTe
k(TM) II-41  Heel Launches Luffeel(R) in the US II-41  Palatin Technologies to Develop Bremelanotide II-41  Archimedes to Introduce Intranasal Formulation of Human Growth  Hormone II-41  Sinofresh Launches SinoFresh(TM) Nasal & Sinus Care II-41  PARI Respiratory Launches Nasal Drug Delivery Program II-42  OptiNose to Develop New Range of Intranasal Products II-42OptiNose and Cambridge Consultants to Develop Advanced Nasal  Delivery Device II-42  Kurve Technology Develops ViaNase ID(TM) II-42  Upsher-Smith Introduces Fortical(R) Nasal Spray II-43  Schering-Plough Launches New Formulation of NASONEX(R) II-43  AstraZeneca Unveils Rhinocort Aqua in the US II-43  8. Recent Industry Activity II-44  Zelos Therapeutics Collaborates with Aegis Therapeutics II-44  ImmuneRegen BioSciences Partners with LRRI II-44  Avamys(TM) Nasal Spray Receives Approval in Europe II-44  PMI-150 Receives Canadian Patent II-44  USFDA Approves FluMist(R) for Young Children II-45  USFDA Approves Veramyst Nasal Spray for Individuals Aged Two  Years and Above II-45  Kurve Technology Inks Agreement with Schering-Plough II-45  MedImmune Clarifies FDA Observations II-45  FluMist(R) Receives FDA Approval for Refrigerated Formulation II-45  Nastech Regains Rights for PTH1-34 Nasal Spray II-45  NASONEX(R) Receives Ease-of-Use Commendation from Arthritis  Foundation II-46  Aegis Therapeutics Establishes Cedar Therapeutics Inc. II-46  EMEA Provides Encouraging Feedback for Avamys(TM) Nasal Spray II-46  Kurve Technologies Introduces Blog on Nasal Drug Delivery II-46  Accentia Extends Agreement with Mayo Foundation II-46  Nastech Signs Development and License Agreement with Amylin II-47  MedImmune's FluMist Plant Gets FDA Approval II-47  ShinNippon Subsidiaries Sign Licensing Agreement with Tokai  Pharmaceuticals II-47  MeadWestvaco Acquires Saint-Gobain Calmar II-47  Merck Terminates PYY3-36 Partnership with Nastech II-47  Inspire Signs Licensing Agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim II-48  P&G Partners with Nastech to Develop PTH(1-34) II-48  Unigene Laboratories Signs Distribution Agreement with Tzamal  Bio Pharma II-49  GlaxoSmithKline Seeks Marketing Approval for Fluticasone  Furoate in the US and Europe II-49  Kurve Technology Relocates Corporate Headquarters II-49  Kurve Inks an Agreement with DARA BioSciences II-49  Kurve Enters into a Development Agreement with Schering-Plough II-49  Altana Submits NDS for Approval of Ciclesonide Nasal Spray in  Canada II-49  Altana Pharma AG Receives FDA Approval for Pediatric Use of  Omnaris II-50  Intranasal Therapeutics Inc. Receives Financial Funding II-50  FDA Completes Pre-Approval Inspections at Nastech's Washington  Facility II-50  Kos Signs Exclusive License Agreement with SkyePharma II-50  Bentley Signs Agreement with Biocon II-50  MedImmune Files New Drug Application with the FDA II-51  Intranasal Therapeutics Files Patent Application for Synthetic  THC II-51  Ionix Pharmaceuticals in Collaboration with Reckitt Benckiser  for Drug Development II-51  University of Kentucky Receives Patent for new Intranasal Device II-51  Intranasal Technology Extends Collaboration with Aegis  Therapeutics II-52  Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Signs License Agreement with  Collegium Pharmaceuticals II-52  Aegis Therapeutics Extends License Agreement with Intranasal  Technologies II-52  Bentley Pharmaceuticals Signs Agreement with Dong Sung  Pharmaceuticals II-52  Unigene Gets FDA Approval for Fortical Calcitonin- Salmon  Nasal Spray II-53  OptiNose Signs Collaborative Agreement with MedPharm II-53  West Pharmaceutical Divests Drug Delivery Business to  Archimedes Pharma II-53  Nastech Pharmaceutical Receives FDA Approval for Nascobal  Nasal Spray II-53  Par and Nastech Sign Licensing Agreement II-53  Aegis Therapeutics Signs Licensing Agreement with University  of Alabama II-54  ITI Receives a Patent for Sedation Inducing Nasal Drug II-54  Inyx Bags Order from Australian OTC Drug Company II-54  9. Focus on Select Global Players II-55  Aegis Therapeutics LLC (USA) II-55  Alza Corporation (USA) II-55  AptarGroup, Inc. (USA) II-55  Archimedes Pharma Limited. (UK) II-56  AstraZeneca Plc (UK) II-56  MedImmune, Inc. (USA) II-56  Bayer Consumer Care (USA) II-57  Bespak Plc (UK) II-57  GlaxoSmithKline Plc (UK) II-57  Intranasal Therapeutics, Inc. (USA) II-58  Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) II-58  Kurve Technology, Inc. (USA) II-58  Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. (USA) II-58  Novartis AG (Switzerland) II-59  OptiNose AS (Norway) II-59  Pfizer, Inc. (USA) II-59  Rexam Plc (UK) II-60  Schering-Plough Corporation (USA) II-60  Sanofi-Aventis S.A. (France) II-60  Unigene Laboratories, Inc. (USA) II-60  10. Market Analytics II-61  Table 8: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Intranasal Drug Delivery by Therapeutic Area - Allergic  Infections, Analgesics, Osteoporosis, and Vaccinations Markets  Independently Analyzed by Annual Sales Figures in US$ Million  for Years 2000 through 2010 II-61  Table 9: US Long-term Projections for Intranasal Drug  Delivery by Therapeutic Area - Allergic Infections,  Analgesics, Osteoporosis, and Vaccinations Markets  Independently Analyzed by Annual Sales Figures in US$ Million  for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-61  Table 10: US 10-Year Perspective for Intranasal Drug Delivery  by Therapeutic Area -Percentage Breakdown of Values Sales for  Allergic Infections, Analgesics, Osteoporosis, and  Vaccinations for Years 2003, 2008 & 2012 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-62  III. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 

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High Growth Forecasted for the World Artificial Organs Market

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World Artificial Organs Market

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This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Artificial Organs in US$ Million. The major product segments analyzed are Artificial Heart, Artificial Kidneys, Artificial Liver, Artificial Pancreas, and Artificial Lungs. Annual forecasts are provided for the period of 2003 through 2015. The report profiles 55 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as Abbott Laboratories, Abiomed Inc., Arbios Systems, Inc., Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co., Ltd., Baxter International, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.., Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, Fresenius Medical Care North America, Inc., Fresenius Kawasumi, Gambro AB, HepaLife Technologies, Inc., Jarvik Heart, Inc., MC3, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., MicroMed Cardiovascular, Inc., Nikkiso Co., Ltd., Nipro Corporation, SynCardia Systems, Inc., Terumo Corporation, Thoratec Corporation, Toray Medical Co., Ltd., Ventracor Limited, Vital Therapies, Inc., WorldHeart Corporation, and Xenogenics Corporation. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.

 ARTIFICIAL ORGANS MCP-1126  A GLOBAL STRATEGIC BUSINESS REPORT  CONTENTS  I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS  Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1  Disclaimers I-2  Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-2  Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-3  Product Definitions and Scope of Study I-3  Artificial Organs I-3  Artificial Heart I-3  Artificial Kidneys I-4  Artificial Liver I-4  Artificial Pancreas I-4  Artificial Lungs I-4  II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  1. Industry Overview II-1  Artificial Organs Revolutionize Medical Technology Industry II-1  Current and Future Analysis II-1  Market Outlook II-2  Opportunities Abound for Bioartificial Organs II-2  Bionics to Play Crucial Role II-3  Economic Situation Plays a Pivotal Role in ESRD Treatment  Accessibility II-3  Table 1: Number of Dialysis Patients by Geographic Region -  US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and  Rest of World for the Year 2006 (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-4  Growth Drivers II-4  Growth Inhibitors II-5  2. Market Trends and Issues II-6  Higher Development Costs and Lengthy Regulatory Process -  Stumbling Blocks for Product Commercialization II-6  Lack of Requisite Expertise - Hindering Implantation Process II-6  Alliances to Play a Key Role II-6  Aging Population - A Boosting Factor II-6  Anemia - A Growing Concern among Renal Failure Patients II-6  Swelling ESRD Patient Population Spurs Dialyzers Growth II-7  Growing Need for Efficient Control and Easy Usage II-7  Expiry of Warranty Provides New Opportunities II-7  Xenotransplantation - Other Alternative to Donor Organ Shortage II-7  Artificial Organs from Cloned Animal Cells - A Promising Trend II-7  Immunosuppressants Hold Promise in Artificial Organs Market II-8  Move Towards Smaller Implantable Devices II-8  Barriers to Entry Significantly High in Dialyzers Market II-8  Reuse of Dialyzers - A Major Issue in Dialysis Industry II-8  Poor Reimbursement Environment Stymies Innovation II-8  Pricing Trends in Artificial Organs II-9  3. Competitive Scenario II-10  Competition Heating Up in Artificial Pancreas Domain II-10  Fresenius Medical Care - Leads the Worldwide Dialysis  Equipment and Supplies Market II-10  Table 2: Leading Players in the Worldwide Dialysis Equipment  and Supplies Market (2006) - Percentage Breakdown of Sales  for Fresenius Medical Care ,Baxter, Gambro and Others  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-11  Table 3: Leading Players in the Worldwide Hemodialysis  Equipment and Supplies Market (2006) - Percentage Breakdown  of Sales for Fresenius Medical Care, Gambro, Baxter and  Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-11  Table 4: Leading Players in the Worldwide Peritoneal Dialysis  Equipment and Supplies Market (2006) - Percentage Breakdown  of Sales for Baxter, Fresenius Medical Care, Sonstige and  Gambro (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-11  Competitive Landscape of Artificial Kidney or Dialyzers Market II-11  Table 5: Leading Players in the Worldwide Dialyzers Market  (2007): Percentage Breakdown of Unit Output for Fresenius  Medical Care, Gambro and Others (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-12  Synthetic Dialyzers to Attain Mainstay II-13  Asahi Kasei Medical Dominates Japanese Dialyzers Market II-13  Table 6: Leading Players in the Japanese Kidney Dialyzers  Market (2005 & 2006) - Percentage Breakdown of Sales for  Asahi Kasei, Nipro, Kawasumi, Toray and Others (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-13  Competitive Landscape of Ventricular Assist Devices II-13  Various Ventricle Assist Devices II-14  Thoratec - Leads the VADs Market II-14  Table 7: Leading Players in the Worldwide VADs Market (2005  & 2006) - Percentage Breakdown of Sales for Thoratec,  Abiomed, WorldHeart and Others (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-15  Liver Assist Devices Competitive Landscape II-15  Various Liver Assist Devices II-16  Core Competitive Factors II-16  4. Product Overview II-17  Artificial Organs II-17  Categorization of Artificial Organs II-17  External Artificial Organs II-17  Internal or Implantable Artificial Devices II-17  Artificial Heart II-17  Total Artificial Heart (TAH) II-18  Ventricle Assist Device (VAD) II-18  Table 8: Distribution of Various Uses of VADs (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-18  Right Ventricular Assist Systems (RVAS) II-18  Left Ventricular Assist Systems (LVAS) II-18  Categorization of LVAS II-18  First Generation LVAS II-18  Second Generation LVAS II-19  Third Generation LVAS II-19  Benefits of LVAS II-20  Major Limitations and Complications of VADs II-20  Infection II-21  Internal Bleeding II-21  Thrombus II-21  Dependability II-21  Cost II-21  Table 9: Average Selling Price per Unit (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-22  Table 10: Distribution of Direct Costs for Heart Failure  in the US (2004) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-22  Natural Human Heart II-22  Heart Diseases II-23  Congenital Heart Disease II-23  Congestive Heart Failure II-23  Types of Heart Failure II-23  Diastolic Heart Failure II-23  Systolic Heart Failure II-23  Artificial Heart - A Historical Perspective II-23  Major Milestones in Artificial Heart Development II-24  Jarvik-7 II-24  AbioCor Total Artificial Heart II-25  Major Advancements in AbioCor Over Jarvik-7 II-25  CardioWest Temporary Total Artificial Heart II-26  DuraHeart LVAS II-26  HeartSaverVAD II-27  VentrAssist Left Ventricular Assist Device II-27  Artificial Kidney (Dialyzer) II-27  Limitations of Artificial Kidney II-28  Types of Dialysis II-28  Hemodialysis II-28  Peritoneal Dialysis II-29  Advances in Artificial Kidney Technology II-29  Bioartificial Kidneys II-30  Limitations of Bioartificial Kidneys II-30  Hindrances to Develop Implantable Artificial Kidney II-31  Artificial Kidneys - A Historical Perspective II-31  Artificial Liver II-31  Overdose of Drugs - A Leading Cause for Liver Damage II-32  Categorization of Liver Devices II-32  Mechanical Systems II-33  Liver Dialysis Unit(TM) II-33  Molecular Adsorbents Recirculating System II-33  SEPET II-33  Bio-Artificial Systems II-34  Capillary Hollow Fiber Systems II-35  Direct Perfusion Systems II-35  Entrapment Based Systems II-35  Major BAL Devices II-36  Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device (ELAD) II-36  Cellular Components II-36  Types of Bioreactor II-36  HepatAssist-2(TM) Bioartificial Liver System II-36  Hybrid Artificial Liver Support System II-37  History of Artificial Liver II-37  Liver Assist Devices - Major Milestones II-38  Nonbiological Method Introduction Time Line II-38  Biological Method Introduction Time Line II-38  Artificial Pancreas II-38  Insulin Pumps - Historical Perspective II-39  Bioartificial Pancreas II-40  Nanotechnology in Artificial Pancreas II-40  Medtronic Minimed, Inc Products II-41  External Artificial Pancreas II-41  Implantable Artificial Pancreas II-41  MiniMed Paradigm(R) REAL-Time Insulin Pump and CGM System II-41  Guardian(R) RT CGM System II-41  Abbott Products II-41  FreeStyle Navigator CGM System II-41  CozMore Insulin Technology System II-42  Artificial Lungs (Oxygenator) II-42  About Human Lungs II-42  Types of Artificial Lung II-42  Intravenous Membrane Oxygenator II-43  Hattler Respiratory Catheter II-43  MC3 Pulmonary Assist Device II-43  In-Series II-43  In-Parallel II-43  BioLung II-43  Heart-Lung Bypass Machine II-44  Role of Artificial Lungs during Surgery II-44  Direct Contact Device II-44  Indirect-Contact Type-Membrane Devices II-44  Biorubber to be used in Artificial Lungs II-45  History of Artificial Lungs II-45  An Overview of Tissue Engineering II-45  5. Introduction to Biomaterials II-47  6. Organ Transplantation II-48  Sources of Donor Organs II-48  Table 11: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Kidney Transplant Donations by Donor Type - Cadaveric and  Living in Units for Years 2001 through 2010 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-48  Table 12: US Historic Review for Kidney Transplant Donations  by Donor Type - Cadaveric and Living in Units for Years 1991  through 2000 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-49  Table 13: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Liver  Transplant Donations by Donor Type - Cadaveric and Living in  Units for Years 2001 through 2010 (includes corresponding  Graph/Chart) II-49  Table 14: US Historic Review for Liver Transplant Donations  by Donor Type - Cadaveric and Living in Units for Years 1991through 2000 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-49  Table 15: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Heart  Transplants -Donations by Cadaveric Donor Type in Units for  Years 2001 through 2010 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-50  Table 16: US Historic Review for Heart Transplant Donations  by Donor Type - Cadaveric and Living in Units for Years 1991  through 2000 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-50  Table 17: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Pancreatic Transplant Donations by Donor Type - Cadaveric and  Living in Units for Years 2000 through 2010 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-50  Major Milestones in Organ Transplantation II-51  US Organ Transplant Facts II-51  Shortage of Donor Organs Restricts Transplantation Procedures II-51  Table 18: Survival Percentage of Transplanted Organs (  includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-52  Table 19: Waiting List of Patients in the US as of July 2007  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-53  Table 20: Waiting List of Active and Inactive Patients in the  US for Years 2004 & 2005 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-53  Organ Rejection - A Major Barrier to Transplantation II-53  Other Issues for Organ Transplantation II-54  Combined Organ Transplantation - Gaining Attention II-54  7. Regulatory Environment II-55  Regulatory Environment in the US II-55  Regulatory Environment in Europe II-56  8. Product Innovations/Introductions II-57  Gambro Unveils AK 96(TM) Dialyzer II-57  Nipro Introduces Artificial Kidney Dialyzer in Overseas Markets II-57  University of Michigan Develops Artificial Lungs II-57  USC Researchers Develop Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System for  Retinal Implant II-57  Researchers Develop Cell Manipulation Technique for Organ  Regeneration Process II-58  Terumo to Introduce First CE Mark LVAS in Europe II-58  Advanced Technique for Nerve Re-Growth Developed II-58  JDRF Develops Artificial Pancreas II-58  Direct Attachment of Artificial Limbs Technique Developed II-59  Artificial Pancreas to Generate Hope for Young Diabetics II-59  Artificial Liver Developed Using Stem Cells II-59  Artificial Liver Device from HepaLife II-59  Researchers Develop Human Nephron Filter II-60  Ventracor Completes Pilot Trial of VentrAssist II-60  National Cardiovascular Center Develops Completely Implantable  Wireless Artificial Heart II-60  InnovaMedica Reveals Prototype for Economical Artificial Heart II-61  Researchers Develop Membrane-Based Microscopic Device II-61  9. Recent Industry Activity II-62  Thoratec Receives FDA Approval for HeartMate II(R) II-62  Asahi Kasei Institutes a Sales Subsidiary in Taiwan II-62  Arbios Seeks CE Marking for SEPET(TM) II-62  Gambro Teams up with Debiotech for Developing Peritoneal  Dialysis Cycler II-62  Arbios Obtains US FDA Approval for Initiating Clinical Trial  for SEPET(TM) II-63  Abiomed Obtains HDE Supplement Approval from FDA for AbioCor(R)  Implantable Artificial Heart II-63  Ventracor Obtains CE Marking for VentrAssist(TM) LVAD II-63  Fresenius Medical Care Takes Over Renal Solutions, Inc. II-63  Arbios Inks Exclusive Agreement with NxStage for SEPET(TM) II-63  WorldHeart Completes First Multi-Day Animal Study of  PediaFlow(TM) VAD II-64  Xcorporeal, Inc. Completes Merger with CT Holdings II-64  Nikkiso Collaborates with Nipro for Overseas Launch of its  Dialysis Systems II-64  Ege University to Initiate Artificial Heart Project II-64  Vascutek Buys Kohler Chemie's Heart Valve Business II-64  NovaThera Partners with NovaLung to Develop Advanced  Artificial Lung II-64  Aksys Quits Kidney Dialysis Machines Business II-65  Twardowski Terminates License Agreement with Aksys II-65  Asahi Kasei Medical Fortifies Competence in Artificial Kidney  Production II-65  Fresenius Medical Care Enhances Dialyzer Output II-65  HepaLife Appoints Stem Cell Systems for Bioreactor Development II-65  Hanger Orthopedic Acquires Regional Artificial Limb & Brace II-65  Gambro Acquires Hemapure II-66  Fresenius Medical Care Snaps Up Renal Care Group II-66  CLSI Teams Up with DTS II-66  Abiomed to Foray into the Indian Market II-66  Asahi Kasei Medical to Double Artificial Kidney Production in  China II-66  Thoratec Bags FDA Approval for IDE Supplement for HeartMate II  Phase II Trial under CAP II-66  SynCardia Systems Obtains CE Mark to Sell EXCOR(R) TAH-t Mobile  Driver with CardioWest(TM) TAH-t in Europe II-67  FDA Grants Approval for Medtronic's Guardian(R) Real- Time CGM  System II-67  DexCom Bags FDA Approval for STS Continuous Glucose Monitoring  System II-67  Vital Therapies Obtains FDA Guidance to Ship ELAD to China II-67  MC3 Secures Phase I STTR Grant from NHLBI to Develop Pump-  Oxygenator II-68  Pauley Heart Center Implants First CardioWest TAH-t on East Coast II-68  LDS Hospital Team Implants WorldHeart's New Artificial Heart  Device in Greece II-68  Novacor LVAS Support Recipient Completes Five Years II-68  SynCardia Systems to Increase CardioWest TAH-t Transplant  Hospitals II-69  National Quality Care Divests Dialysis Unit to Kidney Dialysis  Center II-69  Medtronic Gains FDA Approval for Mini Med Paradigm(R) REAL-Time  System II-70  MicroMed Receives CE Mark Extension for DeBakey VAD(R) System II-70  Thoratec Files Data On HeartMate II LVAS for Pre-Market Approval II-70  Arbios Systems Receives FDA Allowance to Expand Eligibility  Criteria for SEPET(TM) Liver Assist Device II-70  Abiomed's AbioCor(R) Artificial Heart Receives FDA Approval II-71  Abiomed's IMPELLA 5.0 Receives Conditional IDE Approval II-71  WorldHeart Makes Synergistic Purchase of MedQuest II-72  Nipro Takes Over Artificial Lung Business from Dainippon Ink  and Chemicals II-72  Baxter Inks Pact with Gambro Renal Products II-72  Xenogenics Bags Patent for Synthetic Bio-Liver Device II-72  Gambro Bags FDA Approval for MARS for Drug Overdose and Poisoning II-73  Einstein Medical Center Participates in Artificial Liver  Support Device's Clinical Trail II-73  SynCardia Announces First CardioWest TAH-t Implantation at The  Cleveland Clinic II-73  SynCardia Announces Implantation of CardioWest(TM) TAH-t for  Destination Therapy in Germany II-73  Australian Patients Receive Jarvik 2000 II-73  WorldHeart Bags Three Patents for Ventricular Assist Pumps II-74  Asahi Kasei Medical's First APS(TM) Dialyzers Assembly Line  Commences Operations II-74  Arrow International Halts LionHeart LVAS II-74  Arbios Systems Takes Over Circe Biomedical's Bioartificial  Liver Assets II-74  Roche Makes a Synergetic Purchase of Disetronic II-74  MultiCell Technologies Merges with Exten Industries II-75  HepaLife Technologies Expands Cooperative Research Agreement  Scope II-75  MedQuest Wins Contract from NIH to Develop LVAD for Infants II-75  Jarvik Heart Receives Contract from NIH to Develop VADs for  Children II-75  SynCardia Receives FDA Approval for CardioWest(TM) Temporary  Total Artificial Heart II-75  FDA Grants Approval for SynCardia Systems' Partial Artificial  Heart II-76  Thoratec Obtains FDA approval for Implantable Ventricular  Assist Device II-76  FDA Grants Approval to World Heart's Novacor(R) LVAS for  Destination Therapy II-76  MicroMed Technology Receives Approval for DeBakey VAD Child  Heart Pump II-77  FDA Awards Orphan Drug Designation for Core Component of Vital  Therapies' ELAD II-77  SynCardia Systems Licenses Technology from MEDOS II-77  MicroMed Technology Announces Implantation of First DeBakey  VAD for Destination Therapy II-77  Vital Therapies Takes Over VitaGen Assets II-77  Advanced Biotherapy Inks Agreement with Russian Federation  Ministry of Health/State Institute of Transplantation and  Artificial Organs II-78  Novalung Signs Agreements with MC3 II-78  10. Focus on Select Global Players II-79  Abbott Laboratories (USA) II-79  Abiomed Inc (USA) II-79  Arbios Systems, Inc. (USA) II-79  Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co., Ltd (Japan) II-80  Baxter International, Inc. (USA) II-80  F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland) II-80  Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (Germany) II-81  Fresenius Medical Care North America, Inc. II-81  Fresenius Kawasumi (Japan) II-82  Gambro AB (Sweden) II-82  HepaLife Technologies, Inc. (USA) II-82  Jarvik Heart, Inc. (USA) II-83  MC3, Inc. (USA) II-83  Medtronic, Inc. (USA) II-83  MicroMed Cardiovascular, Inc. (USA) II-84  Nikkiso Co., Ltd. (Japan) II-84  Nipro Corporation (Japan) II-84  SynCardia Systems, Inc. (USA) II-85  Terumo Corporation (Japan) II-85  Thoratec Corporation (USA) II-85  Toray Medical Co., Ltd. (Japan) II-86  Ventracor Limited (Australia) II-86  Vital Therapies, Inc. (USA) II-86  WorldHeart Corporation (USA) II-87  Xenogenics Corporation (USA) II-87  11. Global Market Perspective II-88  Table 21: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Artificial Organs by Product Segment -Artificial Heart,  Artificial Kidneys, Artificial Liver, Artificial Pancreas and  Artificial Lungs Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual  Sales Figures in US$ Million for Years 2003 through 2010  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-88  Table 22: World Long-term Projections for Artificial Organs by  Product Segment -Artificial Heart, Artificial Kidneys,  Artificiasl Liver, Artificial Pancreas and Artificial Lungs  Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Sales Figures in  US$ Million for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-89  Table 23: World 8-Year Perspective for Artificial Organs by  Product Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Dollar Sales for  Artificial Heart, Artificial Kidneys, Artificial Liver,  Artificial Pancreas and Artificial Lungs Markets for 2003,  2008 & 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-90  Table 24: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Artificial Kidneys/Dialyzers by Geographic Region - USA,  Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Middle  East and Latin American Markets Independently Analyzed with  Annual Sales Figures in US$ Million for Years 2003 through2010 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-91  Table 25: World Long-term Projections for Artificial  Kidneys/Dialyzers by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan,  Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Middle East and Latin  American Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Sales  Figures in US$ Million for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-92  Table 26: World 8-Year Perspective for Artificial  Kidneys/Dialyzers by Geographic Region- Percentage Breakdown  of Dollar Sales for USA, Canada, Japan,Europe, Asia-Pacific  (excluding Japan), Middle East,and Latin American Markets for  Years 2003,2008 & 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-93  Table 27: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for  Insulin Pumps (External) by Geographic Region - USA,Europe and  Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Sales  Figures in US$ Million for Years 2003 through 2010 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-94  Table 28: World Long-term Projections for Insulin Pumps  (External) by Geographic Region - USA, Europe and Rest of  World Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Sales Figures  in US$ Million for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes  corresponding Graph/Chart) II-94  Table 29: World 8-Year Perspective for Insulin Pumps External)  by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Dollar Sales  for US, Europe and Rest of World Markets for 2003, 2008 & 2012  (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-95  III. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 

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Exiqon A/S Today Announces a Grant of License to Roche Diagnostics

VEDBAEK, Denmark, October 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ —

   - Announcement No. 40/2008   - To OMX Nordic Exchange Copenhagen and the Press.  

Exiqon A/S today announces a grant of license to Roche Diagnostics for use of the Universal ProbeLibrary that is based on Exiqon’s proprietary LNA(TM) detection technology.

Roche Diagnostics will develop its new product line for RealTime ready qPCR assays with the Universal ProbeLibrary that is based on Exiqon’s proprietary LNA(TM) detection technology.

“This extension of our successful partnership with Roche allows for the application of Exiqon’s LNA(TM) detection technology in the new and fast growing market for ready-to-use and customizable RealTime PCR products. We are exited to have Roche Diagnostics, who is a leader in the RealTime PCR market, embrace the LNA(TM) detection technology in their new product offering,” comments Lars Kongsbak, President and CEO of Exiqon.”

For additional information, reference is made to the attached press release by the parties.

The financial details of the agreement including commercial milestone payments and royalties on future product sales are not disclosed.

Exiqon retains its financial outlook for 2008 including an expected revenue of DKK 140-150 million in 2008 including both research product sales and 10 months of diagnostic sales from Oncotech’s activities corresponding to full year revenues including Oncotech of DKK 150-160 million and a net loss for the year 2008 of DKK 100-115 including DKK 6 million of costs of current incentive plans, including warrants..

Exiqon maintains its long-term financial goal of profitability by 2011 with its current cash position and break even of the research products business by 2009.

About Exiqon

Exiqon is dedicated to personalizing the treatment selection for cancer patients. Our goal is to optimize the use of existing medicine and avoid unnecessary and non-effective treatment. We aim to achieve this through improved diagnosis: by using diagnostic tests that analyses the genetic profile of each patient’s tumor, we can help optimize the treatment selection for the individual patients. Exiqon is uniquely positioned to develop such new diagnostic tests, and we possess the necessary technology. The technology is referred to as LNA(TM). Using this technology, over a period of only four years Exiqon has been able to establish a position for itself as one of the market’s leading providers of research products for gene expression analysis.

Our research products are used by university scientists and in the pharmaceutical industry around the world to make groundbreaking discoveries about the correlation between gene activity and the development of cancer and other disorders such as neurological disorders and metabolic diseases. We are currently developing our new molecular diagnostic products, and the first new product based on the LNA(TM) technology is scheduled for launch by the end of 2008. A number of new products will follow in the years ahead. Exiqon already has a significant market presence through its existing diagnostic product sales to hospitals in the USA. Through Oncotech, Exiqon markets diagnostic products that enable doctors to test whether their patients are resistant to one or more of the chemotherapies offered to treat these patients and helps them select an efficacious treatment. Oncotech is the market leader when it comes to selling such diagnostic tests based on an analysis of fresh tumor tissue. Exiqon plans to use Oncotech’s leading market position to sell our new molecular diagnostic products based on the LNA(TM) technology.

Exiqon has more than 200 employees and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX in Copenhagen and categorized as a biotech company (Small Cap+).

About RealTime PCR

Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is the most widely used technology for gene expression analysis and is applied in both research and diagnostic applications. There are more than 20.000 RealTime PCR instruments deployed today and the total market for RealTime PCR is estimated to be over 900 MUSD growing to over 1200 MUSD in 2012.

   Disclaimer   Forward-looking statements:  

This announcement contains forward-looking statements regarding Exiqon’s potential future development and financial performance and other statements, which are not historical facts. Such statements are made on the basis of assumptions and expectations which, to the best of Exiqon’s knowledge, are reasonable and well-founded at this time, but which may prove to be erroneous. Exiqon’s operations are characterized by the fact that its actual results may deviate significantly from that described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

   For additional information please contact:   CEO, Lars Kongsbak, tel: +45-4566-0888 or +45-4090-2101   CFO, Hans Henrik Chrois Christensen tel: +45-4566-0888 or +45-4090-2131  

Exiqon A/S

CONTACT: For additional information please contact: CEO, Lars Kongsbak,tel: +45-4566-0888 or +45-4090-2101; CFO, Hans Henrik Chrois Christensen tel:+45-4566-0888 or +45-4090-2131

PBS’s FRONTLINE Offers 2008 Edition of Award-Winning Election Series ‘The Choice’ Free Across Digital Platforms

To: EDUCATION EDITORS

Contact: Diane Buxton, +1-617-300-5375, [email protected] or Jessica Smith, +1-617-300-5374, [email protected], both of WGBH Boston for FRONTLINE

BOSTON, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ — This election season, PBS’s flagship documentary series FRONTLINE offers voters more options than ever to view its quadrennial award-winning election special “The Choice 2008,” premiering Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), with encore broadcasts Sunday, Oct. 26, and Monday, Nov. 3, 2008.

For the first time, FRONTLINE viewers will also be able to watch the complete two-hour dual biography of John McCain and Barack Obama on YouTube (youtube.com/pbs) and download it free from iTunes beginning Oct. 15 through the month of November. “The Choice 2008” will also stream in the high-quality News & Public Affairs Player at pbs.org/frontline and on many local PBS station Web sites, where visitors can select from a rich archive of more than 45 full-length FRONTLINE reports, as always with no commercials.

For 20 years, through five presidential elections, FRONTLINE’s “The Choice” has presented rich personal and political biographies of the candidates through in-depth interviews with the advisers, friends and those closest to them. Hailed by critics as “the best single TV opportunity that voters have to examine the two men who would be president,””The Choice” has become a much-anticipated election favorite.

“Now more than ever, new media plays an important role in how Americans learn and share information about the election,” says FRONTLINE executive producer David Fanning. “It’s important that we continue to fulfill the mission of public broadcasting by extending free viewership of “The Choice 2008″ to as wide an audience as possible and by reaching out to voters across these digital platforms.”

Digital Cable television viewers will also be able to access “The Choice 2008” via Elections ’08 On Demand, a voter-education VOD channel that is being offered across the country on America’s leading cable operators, including Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable among many others. “The Choice 2008” also will be offered On Demand through additional local cable operators in select markets. Please check with your cable provider to find “The Choice 2008” and Elections ’08 On Demand. Finally, repeat broadcasts of “The Choice 2008” are scheduled on the digital channel PBS WORLD on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.; Oct. 16 at 12 a.m., 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and Oct. 19 at 12 p.m. ET.

LINKS

Visit “The Choice 2008” on PBS.org to watch previews, check local listings, and bookmark the page for streaming video of the complete documentary coming Oct. 14: http://www.pbs.org/frontline/choice2008/ .

Watch and share “The Choice 2008” with friends on YouTube beginning Oct. 15: http://www.youtube.com/pbs.

Download “The Choice 2008” free from iTunes beginning Oct. 15 through the month of November.

“The Choice 2008” is a FRONTLINE co-production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. The writer, producer and director is Michael Kirk. The producer and reporter is Jim Gilmore. The co-producer and co-writer is Paul Stekler. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. Additional funding for “The Choice 2008” is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/PBS Program Challenge Fund. FRONTLINE is closed- captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

PBS goes behind the headlines throughout the summer and fall with the “PBS Vote 2008” election lineup, offering Americans a unique opportunity to explore the presidential election. PBS’s trusted news brands and personalities bring viewers in-depth information and insight into the issues and candidates. PBS’s election coverage will be led by The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Week with Gwen Ifill & National Journal, NOW on PBS, Bill Moyers Journal and Tavis Smiley, and enhanced by programming from other trusted PBS sources, including American Experience, FRONTLINE, Nightly Business Report and P.O.V. PBS.org’s election hub page, pbs.org/vote2008, will provide further perspectives. The site will aggregate video from PBS, feature syndicatable content from across public media and highlight innovative Web-only projects from PBS producers and stations.

http://www.PBS.org/pressroom

Promotional photography can be downloaded from the PBS pressroom.

Press Contacts:

Diane Buxton

(617) 300-5375

[email protected]

Jessica Smith

(617) 300-5374

[email protected]

SOURCE FRONTLINE

(c) 2008 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Arizona Heart Institute Welcomes David J. Caparrelli, Cardiovascular Surgeon

PHOENIX, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ — The Arizona Heart Institute (AHI) is proud to introduce David J. Caparrelli, MD who recently joined the AHI Division of Cardiovascular Surgery.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and former fellow of endovascular surgery at the AHI, Dr. Caparrelli is board certified in general and vascular surgery and has recently completed his cardiac surgery training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. In his final year of training, Dr. Caparrelli was honored with the C. Walton Lillehei-Earl Bakken Cardiac Surgery Resident Award presented at the 2008 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual meeting. Dr. Caparrelli has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored several chapters related to cardiovascular medicine. For these accomplishments he was awarded the George D. Zuidema Resident Research Award and the Baltimore Academy of Surgery Resident Research Award.

“The addition of Dr. Caparrelli to our surgical staff provides an important new dimension to the care of our patients with complex heart and vascular disease,” says Dr. Edward B. Diethrich, founder and medical director of Arizona Heart Institute and Arizona Heart Hospital. “Dr. Caparrelli was an outstanding endovascular surgery fellow at Arizona Heart Institute. In addition, his recent experience at an internationally recognized facility, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, will enhance our surgical capabilities. Dr. Caparrelli will take a leadership role at Arizona Heart Institute, Arizona Heart Hospital and Arizona Heart Translational Research Center,” continued Diethrich.

Dr. Caparrelli has a special interest in the treatment of aortic and branch vessel pathologies employing both conventional and endovascular techniques including carotid endarterectomy and stenting, aortic valve replacement, thoracic endografting, aortic root and arch surgery as well as valve-sparing root replacement. Dr. Caparrelli is fully committed to community outreach projects and patient education; he will participate in multiple speaking engagements around the Valley.

Arizona Heart Institute Division of Cardiovascular Surgery is a globally recognized center of excellence which embraces the AHI mission — to care, to teach, to pioneer. The team of board-certified surgeons and support staff excel in the most advanced treatment modalities across all areas of its field, a qualification reflected by patient demand and sustained excellent outcomes in the categories of hospital length of stay, complications, comorbidities and mortality.

Streaming from a wide range of different backgrounds, our physicians excel in training and skill, yet all share one common goal: to provide the very best patient care possible.

For more information, please visit http://www.azheart.com/, or contact Public Relations at 602-707-3519.

Arizona Heart Institute

CONTACT: Maggie Cocco of Arizona Heart Institute, +1-602-707-3519,[email protected]

Web site: http://www.azheart.com/

San Domenico School Hosts Marin County’s Largest School Solar Installation

San Domenico School, the oldest independent Catholic school in California, and Recurrent Energy, a leading solar power developer and the industry pioneer in Solar as a Service(SM), today announced the planned installation of a 412 kilowatt solar energy system. The project will require more than 2,300 photovoltaic panels, spread across several roof- and ground-mounted arrays – in total, offsetting nearly 85% of San Domenico’s expected annual electricity costs.

Scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, the project will be owned and operated by Recurrent Energy. The company is working in tandem with Sonoma, CA-based Solaris Solar for construction and Marin, CA-based GreenLight Solar, LLC for initial project design and development consulting. Under its Solar as a Service offering, Recurrent Energy will sell 100% of the electricity through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), supplying San Domenico with financial predictability and reduced energy costs, without the upfront capital costs and risks of ownership.

The installations in total are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 860,000 pounds annually as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That is equivalent to removing 70 vehicles from the road, preserving 3 acres of forest from deforestation, or serving 60 U.S. households’ electricity needs.

“We established our Sustainability Program in 1995 with a curriculum that introduces students from pre-kindergarten through high school with the knowledge, values, and problem solving skills needed to build a livable and sustainable future,” said Sister Gervaise Valpey, O.P., San Domenico School’s President Emerita. “After several years of research, San Domenico is excited to move ahead with the solar installation from Recurrent Energy, and we’re already actively involving students in the process to effect similar changes at home and in the larger community.”

“San Domenico’s dedication to significant environmental and sustainability initiatives is impressive – they are setting the example for schools nationwide,” said Recurrent Energy’s CEO, Arno Harris. “We are pleased to work together to make this showcase solar project a reality.”

San Domenico School joins Recurrent Energy’s list of recent Solar as a Service adopters, including The North Face with a 1 megawatt project in Visalia, California, and The City and County of San Francisco’s 5 megawatt planned installation – the largest municipal solar photovoltaic project in the U.S.

For additional information on San Domenico School’s sustainability initiatives, ranging from energy efficiency programs to ecological literacy, visit www.sandomenico.org. To learn more about Recurrent Energy and Solar as Service, visit www.recurrentenergy.com.

About San Domenico School

Founded in 1850, San Domenico is the oldest independent Catholic school in California. Situated on 512 acres in Marin County, the School is sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. San Domenico is dedicated to providing values-based, Catholic education for students of all faiths and cultural backgrounds worldwide. With more than 500 students in grades Pre-K through grade 12, San Domenico offers a co-educational day school program through 8th grade, and a girls’ day and boarding school for grades 9 through 12. San Domenico School is the recipient of the National Association of Independent Schools’ 2007 “Leading Edge” award for sustainability. In 2008, the school’s Garden of Hope was registered as a Bay-Friendly School Garden by StopWaste.Org, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority which promotes waste reduction.

About Recurrent Energy

Recurrent Energy is a leading solar power developer and an industry pioneer in Solar as a Service(SM). The company owns and operates onsite solar power systems, selling clean electricity to its customers at grid-competitive rates. By overcoming the barriers preventing widespread adoption of distributed solar power, Recurrent Energy makes solar a practical choice for today’s large energy users in the commercial, government, and utility markets. For more information on Recurrent Energy and Solar as a Service, please visit www.recurrentenergy.com.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Grants ABC-CLIO Perpetual License to Publish Greenwood Publishing Group Titles

ABC-CLIO and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt today announced an agreement granting ABC-CLIO a perpetual license to use the imprints and publish the titles of Greenwood Publishing Group, including Greenwood Press, Praeger Publishers, Praeger Security International and Libraries Unlimited. In addition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will transfer certain assets, including copyrights, contracts and inventory, of Greenwood Publishing Group to ABC-CLIO. This agreement is effective immediately.

“By combining Greenwood Publishing’s impressive and extensive list of titles with our experience in publishing widely respected databases, reference books and eBooks, ABC-CLIO is expanding its role as a leader in the publishing industry,” said Ron Boehm, CEO, ABC-CLIO. “We believe that we will launch the next generation of high-quality reference, professional development and other resources for education and libraries.”

This agreement combines ABC-CLIO’s five decades as an award-winning publisher of print and electronic reference products with Greenwood Publishing Group’s extensive list of more than 18,000 reference titles, academic and general interest books, texts, books for librarians and other professionals, and electronic resources.

“We are proud of the success of Greenwood Publishing,” said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Chairman and CEO Tony Lucki. “We view this agreement as an opportunity for the brand to grow and expand its focus on publishing for the digital world and believe that ABC-CLIO is uniquely positioned to accomplish this.”

Greenwood Press publishes high-quality, authoritative reference books across the middle and high school and college and university curriculum as well as on general-interest topics. Praeger Publishers is Greenwood’s line of scholarly and professional books in the social sciences and humanities, with emphasis in modern history, military studies, psychology, business, current events and social issues, international affairs, politics, visual and performing arts, and literature. Praeger Security International publishes insightful and timely material on international security, including defense and foreign policy, strategy, regional security, military history and terrorism. Libraries Unlimited is a publisher of professional materials for librarians, media specialists and teachers. The agreement does not include any imprints or titles of Heinemann USA.

“The opportunity to publish Greenwood’s current library of materials and develop future titles and imprints will allow ABC-CLIO to increase and enhance its high-quality offerings for the education and library markets,” said Becky Snyder, president, ABC-CLIO. “With this agreement, we can forge a new vision for publishing in our world of rapidly changing technologies.”

About ABC-CLIO

ABC-CLIO combines more than 50 years of experience as a premier education and library publisher with a deep commitment to using digital and other emerging technologies to publish the highest quality materials. A privately held publisher of educational and reference products, the company focuses on resources for the scholar, student, teacher and librarian in universities and secondary schools. Under the leadership of CEO Ron Boehm and President Becky Snyder, ABC-CLIO works with more than 5,000 scholars and educators to develop its collection of award-winning print and online reference and resource publications. The company’s headquarters is in Santa Barbara, Calif., with branch offices in Denver, Colo., and Oxford, England. For more information, visit www.abc-clio.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company and the world’s largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K-12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K-12 educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com

ViraCor Laboratories Launches Comprehensive Testing for Fungal Infections

ViraCor Laboratories, a specialty molecular diagnostic reference laboratory that provides same day turnaround for laboratory tests, today announced the launch of a comprehensive mycology, or fungus, testing service that will allow the company to quickly detect potentially deadly fungal infections in patients. Fast diagnosis of fungal infections can significantly improve patient outcomes and prevent the overuse of costly, toxic antifungal therapy.

As part of this new testing service, ViraCor has begun offering two tests – Platelia(TM) Aspergillus EIA and Fungitell(R) B-D Glucan – that together provide the most comprehensive fungal infection testing available. Both tests have been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Fungal infections are emerging as a major cause of sickness and death among transplant and immunocompromised patients. Because these infections progress so rapidly, fast, accurate diagnosis is critical to patient health,” said Steve Kleiboeker, PhD and Chief Scientific Officer of ViraCor Laboratories. “Currently, physicians administer highly toxic antifungal therapy, which can be expensive and dangerous, as a precautionary measure in many patients because symptoms of fungal infections are so vague. With fast turnaround of accurate test results from ViraCor, doctors have the information they need to treat patients correctly, reducing the inappropriate use of drugs, and ultimately saving lives.”

Platelia Aspergillus EIA, which will be marketed as Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA by ViraCor, tests for Invasive Aspergillosis, one of the most serious fungal infections. It has mortality rates reaching 80-100 percent in adults and 75 percent in children with compromised immune systems. Studies have shown that testing with Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA can detect Aspergillus infection up to 10 days earlier than traditional testing methods such as cell culture.

Fungitell B-D Glucan is the only FDA-cleared test for Candida, a yeast that can act as an opportunistic pathogen in patients with compromised immune systems and lead to Invasive Candidiasis. In addition to Candida, the test quickly and accurately detects 9 other pathogens:

— Acremonium

— Aspergillus

— Coccidioides immitis

— Fusarium

— Histoplasma capsulatum

— Pneumocystis jiroveci

— Saccharomyces cerevisiae

— Sporothrix schenckii

— Trichosporon

To achieve the most effective fungal infection monitoring and ensure the most accurate diagnosis, ViraCor recommends that Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA and Fungitell B-D Glucan be used together. As recommended by the manufacturers of the tests, high-risk patients should be monitored two to three times per week.

“Many of the fungi in these tests can be found in nature and healthy humans can breathe them in with very little risk of infection. However, for patients with compromised immune systems, who cannot readily fight disease, these fungi can be deadly,” said John Martin, President of ViraCor. “Since many of the doctors whom ViraCor serves treat patients with compromised immune systems, fungal infection testing is an important addition to our test menu. We are committed to providing clinically relevant tests and unmatched turnaround time to our customers so they can in turn provide better care to their patients. This has been our mission since our founding and it is the core of what we do.”

ViraCor is one of only two national clinical reference laboratories in the nation that run the Fungitell B-D Glucan test. The company is the only laboratory to guarantee same day turnaround of Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA and Fungitell B-D Glucan test results.

ViraCor offers a range of complex, quantitative molecular diagnostic tests. In addition to Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA and Fungitell B-D Glucan, the company offers tests for infectious diseases including BK Virus (BKV), JC Virus (JCV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), and Cytomegalovirus (CMV).

About ViraCor Laboratories

ViraCor Laboratories is a leading molecular diagnostic and research laboratory dedicated to providing innovative diagnostic testing to critical care patients and those with compromised immune systems, with expertise in infectious diseases, including viruses, protozoa and fungi. The company set the standard for the diagnostic industry by turning all patient results around in less than 24 hours, unlike traditional lab results which can take three days to several weeks. The company is a trusted partner of transplant hospitals nationwide, including two-thirds of all pediatric transplant hospitals. www.viracor.com

Prime Health Services and IME Exchange Enter into New Relationship

Prime Health Services (Prime Health), a National Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), announced today a strategic relationship with IME Exchange, created by Venia Innovations, LLC (Venia), a web-based application that allows our clients to engage only the highest-quality Examiners for all varieties of medical assessment and second-opinions.

“Prime Health Services is excited to enter into this new relationship with IME Exchange. The strength of their innovative web-based applications paired with our vast PPO coverage and discounts for Independent Medical Examinations will serve to be an asset to IME Exchange customers,” said Brian Sharp, President/CEO of Prime Health Services, Inc.

“Prime’s entrepreneurial spirit and ability to embrace emerging technologies puts us in the enviable position of redefining how claims and medical professionals connect in the IME process,” says Doug Blair, CEO of Venia. “With Prime’s vast Examiner network, we are developing the ability to give our clients immediate access to any type of medical specialist, in any market, for any kind of evaluation across all lines of insurance.”

About Prime Health

Founded in 1996 and based in Brentwood, TN, Prime Health Services (Prime Health) is a managed care company that offers a full spectrum of services, including a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) ready for access with customizable solutions, as well as repricing offerings. Prime Health’s PPOs include Workers’ Compensation, Group Health, and Auto Liability networks. Prime Health has over 500,000 providers and facilities nationwide forming the Prime Health National Delivery System. Prime Health offers our National Delivery System to the TPA, insurance carrier, and self-insured markets. More Information is available at www.primehealthservices.com or by calling 1-866-348-3887.

About IME Exchange

IME Exchange is the launch product of Venia which was founded in 2006 in Indianapolis, IN. Like Expedia, Monster and Ebay, IME Exchange is redefining the medical assessments marketplace by bringing buyer and seller together without the traditional middleman. IME Exchange is a HIPAA compliant software application that is currently concluding its beta-testing with Costco Wholesale, Nordstrom and their insurance partners.

D.C. Moms Stay Fit Through ‘Stroller Strides’

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – The route goes past orangutans, lions and crocodiles and the pace is breakneck.

No, it’s not an episode of “The Amazing Race” in some remote African location. We’re talking Stroller Strides at the National Zoo, right smack in the middle of the District of Columbia.

The participants?

New moms – working off their pregnancy pounds with strength and cardio exercises – and their babies, who spend the hour in strollers eating Cheerios, playing with their feet and, occasionally, shedding a tear or 10.

“We don’t care if your child cries the whole time,” says Amanda Marr Book, who runs Stroller Strides in D.C. “Being worried about what people think is the last thing a new mom needs. … This is a safe zone.”

Stroller Strides, which was started in San Diego by mommy- fitness guru Lisa Druxman, has since its 2001 inception grown by leaps and bounds and now can be found in hundreds of locations nationwide. In the D.C. area alone, there are at least 20 locations.

What’s the appeal?

“I come because there is no way I’m going to push myself this hard if I’m working out alone,” says class participant Abigail Sharon on a recent morning while waiting next to the Kids’ Farm exhibit at the National Zoo for a class to begin.

Next to Ms. Sharon, comfortably seated in a jogger stroller, is her 1-year-old daughter, Eden, playing with her hat.

A moment later, instructors Sarah Boone and Ms. Marr Book as well as the class participants – three moms and their children seated in strollers (any kind will do, but sturdy wheels are a plus) – are off and running.

“Bring it up to a level five on a scale of one to 10,” shouts Ms. Boone, encouraging the participants to push themselves and their heart rates.

After a short run and warm-up, it’s time for speedy sprints, skips and shuffles.

“It’s like boot camp with cardio bursts,” says Ms. Boone of the 60-minute workout. The cardio bursts increase fitness level and calorie-burning, she adds.

Speaking of which, a one-hour Stroller Strides class invites participants to burn between 300 and 400 calories.

“It depends on how much energy people expend, so it does vary by person to person,” Ms. Marr Book says. “But that’s about the average.”

Ms. Sharon says she has lost the 47 pounds she gained during her pregnancy. She attributes her weight loss success and strength – at least partly – to Stroller Strides.

Fitness expert to the stars and author of “Body After Baby,” Jackie Keller – she has helped people like Uma Thurman lose their baby weight – says the program can be beneficial because it does so much more than hit fitness goals.

“There is no one way to do it. No magical pills or program,” says Ms. Keller, who is not connected to Stroller Strides. “But something that is inexpensive, communal and accessible is going to be beneficial.”

Stroller Strides is all that, Ms. Sharon says. The zoo location is close to her house, it is $15 a class (you get a 20 percent discount if you sign up for 10 lessons at once; there is no annual membership cost) and participants share information about everything from fitness goals to child-rearing techniques, she says.

“You get advice from other moms,” Ms. Sharon says. “And that’s better than going to the doctor.”

Like when Johanna Kreisel, mother of 6-month-old Juliet, during a stair climb next to the seal tank complains that her balance is off since pregnancy, Ms. Marr Book responds quickly (and while running full-steam): “Tighten your core. It will help counteract it.”

The rest of the hour involves more running, several strength exercises using elastic tubing and singing. Yep, when doing their wall sit (a quadriceps exercise done by pushing your back against the wall and bending your legs at a 90-degree angle) outside the Great Ape House, the women sing “If you’re happy and you know it … .”

Another thing that makes both mommy and baby happy is mommy’s fitness level, Ms. Keller says.

“Many new moms feel guilty when they do something for themselves,” she says. “But staying active and physically fit makes you a better mom and that is good for the baby.”

At the end of the workout, moms and children are by the zoo’s Kids’ Farm again. It’s time for abdominal crunches and stretching.

One-year-old Eden sits on her mommy’s tummy for abs and 2-year- old Dagny finally gets a chance to run around in a nearby field while mommy Wendy Mauro does leg lifts.

Everyone is sweating bullets on this otherwise cool morning.

“We figure, if you’re paying, we may as well make you work hard,” Ms. Marr Book jokes. {Corrections:} {Status:}

(c) 2008 Maryland Gazette. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

‘Candy Man’ Assistant Pleads to Conspiracy Charge

By Aaron Falk Deseret News

The former assistant to a Murray doctor known as “The Candy Man” pleaded guilty Tuesday to a conspiracy charge for her role in a practice investigators say left many addicted to prescription narcotics and led to at least five overdose deaths.

Mindy L. Kramer worked for Dr. Warren R. Stack from October 2001 to May 2007, making patient appointments, billing insurance providers and collecting payments. During that time, Kramer said she knew the doctor provided prescription medication to patients after a brief or no medical evaluation. “Many of Dr. Stack’s patients were generally healthy but were addicted to the drugs,” Kramer admitted in taking a plea agreement Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Kramer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit several offenses, including distribution of a controlled substance, health care fraud and money laundering. She faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced in May.

Between January and May of 2007, Stack engaged in a practice he called “express scripts,” Kramer said in her plea agreement. Stack would meet with patients at a makeshift desk in the waiting room and issue prescriptions after a brief meeting, the former assistant said. The doctor saw as many as 80 patients a day, collecting between $70 and $200 per patient, according to court documents.

Stack has pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts in the indictment.

Attorneys for the doctor were in court Tuesday, asking a judge to separate each of the counts against Stack into its own case to limit the prejudicial effect the magnitude of the case might have on a jury. A judge denied that motion.

Stack and his attorneys, Elizabeth Hunt and Ronald J. Yengich, declined to comment on the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in April 2009.

At that trial, Kramer and another assistant, Phyllis V. Murray, are expected to testify against the doctor. Murray, who is facing the same conspiracy charge as Kramer, appeared headed for a plea agreement Tuesday, but her hearing was rescheduled because of an injury to her attorney, prosecutors said.

E-mail: [email protected]

(c) 2008 Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

CIGNA Expands Medicare Offerings for Individuals

CIGNA today announced a variety of new programs that will be available to Medicare eligible individuals for 2009. Some of the new offerings include Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans with no costs for popular generic prescriptions used to treat common conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The new Medicare Advantage health plans include prescription drug coverage and up to 75 percent coverage for preventive dental care. In addition, there are plans with low amounts that individuals pay for doctor’s visits and medications, as well as low monthly premiums.

“CIGNA is focused on making health care for seniors as easy, comprehensive and affordable as possible,” said Sam Srivastava, president, national and senior segments for CIGNA HealthCare. “When people are ready to retire, they should be able to do so with the assurance that they have sufficient health care coverage. That’s why we have developed a range of health care coverage options for individuals as well as employers and union plan sponsors – it’s about meeting the varying needs of today’s retiree as well as for those getting ready to retire.”

For 2009, CIGNA is expanding its “Medicare Advantage Private Fee for Service” (MA PFFS) plans for individuals into 28 states. These plans are approved by Medicare and offer more benefits than the Original Medicare. The new plans allow a person to go to the doctor of his or her choice, provided that doctor accepts Medicare and the terms and conditions of the health plan.

In 2008, CIGNA offered a variety of plans nationally to employers and to individuals in certain counties in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Texas. In 2009 CIGNA will continue to offer these plans nationally to groups. For individual coverage, CIGNA will be adding counties in these existing states as well as adding counties in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia. CIGNA also offers Medicare Part D plans for individuals and groups throughout the nation.

As part of the new options, CIGNA makes available a variety of other services that can help improve the health, well-being and security of the individuals who have these plans. These programs are not available through Original Medicare. Programs will vary based on the health plan a person chooses, but may include some or all of the following:

— Welcome calls to help people understand their new plan and answer any questions they may have.

— My Health Assessment to help individuals identify potential health risks and learn what they can do to prevent potential health problems.

— Healthy Rewards program, which offers discounts on a variety of health and wellness products and services. Savings include up to 60 percent on health club memberships and 40 percent on hearing tests; a 25 percent discount on hearing aids and batteries with a 60-day trial period, money back guarantee, free screenings and no charge for follow-up visits for one year. Discounts are also available for weight and nutrition programs, smoking cessation, dental care products, laser vision care and nutritional supplements. Information about the discounts that are available in an area can be found on mycigna.com.

— Coupons for discounts on various health related items. These high-value coupons are sent to new customers when they enroll in the plan and then offered on an on-going basis through the regular CIGNA Medicare newsletter.

— CIGNA HealthCare 24-Hour Health Information Line(R), which is available day or night for information on a variety of health-related topics, for example, when a grandchild is visiting and develops a high fever in the middle of the night. Callers can either speak directly and confidentially with a trained nurse, or listen to prerecorded information on topics ranging from aging and women’s health to nutrition and surgery.

— The CIGNA Tel-Drug Home Delivery Pharmacy Program is designed especially for people who take prescription medications used to treat on-going medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes. A home-delivery pharmacy can provide an easy and cost-effective solution.

— Personal Health Record gives an individual a convenient place to store information about their medical history. Password protected, it is accessible from any Internet connection and the information can be shared with family members and health professionals. It also features Quicken Health as an added feature to help manage the financial aspects of a person’s health care.

— Healthwise(R) medical and online medication library is available and features information about health conditions and topics to help individuals better understand their conditions.

CIGNA has over 40 years experience with Medicare programs, and currently serves approximately 14 million Medicare eligible individuals and offers a broad array of Medicare and non-Medicare related plans for pre and post age 65 retirees and Medicare beneficiaries including medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy benefits plans and coverage, as well as retiree administrative services. These plans, coupled with CIGNA’s consultative services to group sponsors, help individuals transition from active employment to early retirement or Medicare eligibility with plans and services that meet the individual’s unique needs at every life stage.

About CIGNA:

CIGNA (NYSE:CI), one of the nation’s leading health service companies, is dedicated to helping the people we serve improve their health, well-being and security thorough a diversified portfolio of benefits and services. Serving approximately 47 million people throughout the United States and around the world, CIGNA’s operating subsidiaries offer a full portfolio of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits as well as group life, accident and disability insurance. To learn more about CIGNA visit www.cigna.com.

LightAir IonFlow 50 Air Purifier Tested By Swedish Government Institution. The Results Verify Extreme Efficiency in Removing Fine Particles Which Are Considered the Most Hazardous to Our Health

STOCKHOLM, October 1 /PRNewswire/ — – Benchmark test by the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute (SP) verifies that LightAir IonFlow 50, compared to other leading air purifiers, is particularly effective in removing the smallest particles which are most hazardous to our health. It also reconfirms its superior energy efficiency and silent operation. Unique technology embedded in award winning Swedish design.

The alarming health problems associated with poor indoor air quality are constantly increasing all over the world. Since we spend the greater part of our lives indoors it is essential to understand what can be done about it. LightAir can be part of the solution to those problems.

We breathe 20 000 litres of air every day. The air is full of particles from a great variety of sources. The overwhelming majority of these particles are so small that they actually enter our blood stream. Recent scientific evidence has proven that the combination of small carbon based particles from fossil combustion and allergens as well as other organic substances in the air actually multiplies the hazardous effects and causes severe health problems (e.g. GSF National Research Center for Environment and Health, Germany).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continuously works on National Ambient Air Quality Standards for air pollution known as fine particles. The Clean Air Act, which is the foundation for this standard, states that fine particles can cause serious health problems at relatively low concentrations.

Hundreds of community health studies have linked daily increases in fine particle pollution to reduced lung function, greater use of asthma medications, and increased rates of school absenteeism, emergency room visits, hospital admissions and even tens of thousands of premature deaths each year. Combustion of fossil fuels is the major source of fine particle emissions into the atmosphere such as the particles used in the SP test.

   http://www.lightair.com/   To view Multimedia News Release:   http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/lightair/34540   About LightAir  

LightAir is setting a new standard with unique technologies and aims to develop and manufacture the world’s best choice of Air Management Products. The objective is to improve comfort and health conditions and to offer innovative solutions to indoor air quality problems in various applications.

   LightAir - Air purification for life    Press contact:    Maria Lindholm, +46(0)709-615111.  

LightAir AB

CONTACT: Press contact: Maria Lindholm, +46(0)709-615111,[email protected] .

Doddy Opens Pet Hospital

THE most advanced pet hospital in the country has opened in Liverpool.

The flagship PetAid centre, in Celia Street, Kirkdale, cost the PDSA animal charity pounds 1.5m to build.

Staff expect to treat more than 300 pet patients every day at the new hospital and at their Huyton base.

Its free services will be available to families on housing or council tax benefit living in certain parts of Merseyside.

The hospital is the first in the country to have a dental and diagnostic theatre, a digital X-ray room and other state-of-the-art facilities. It is called the Jeanne Marchig Centre, after one of PDSA’s biggest donors.

Senior vet Stephen McArdle said: “We are delighted the hospital has opened.”

Ken Dodd, who opened the hospital yesterday, said: “I admire what PDSA do and this is a wonderful new facility – money well spent.”

For info call 0151-933 6260.

(c) 2008 Liverpool Echo. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Category Leader Lpath on Track to Meeting Key 2008 Goals

Lpath, Inc. (OTCBB: LPTN), the category leader in bioactive-lipids-based therapeutics, reported it is meeting key 2008 business goals and objectives management set out earlier this year. These include:

A. 2008 Goals Related to ASONEP(TM) Drug Development Program for Cancer:

    1.  Initiate and execute Phase 1 clinical program: The company met this        objective when it initiated Phase 1 trial in April of 2008. ASONEP        was well tolerated at 1 mg of drug per kg of body weight        ("1 mg/kg"), so the company recently escalated to the 3 mg/kg dose        level.  Given continued acceptable tolerance, the company will        escalate to dose levels of 10 mg/kg, 17 mg/kg, and 24 mg/kg.    2.  Determine Phase 2 efficacy trial protocol: Lpath has evaluated        various evidence-based hypotheses regarding anti-cancer efficacy in        order to determine the Phase 2 protocols that will enhance the        likelihood for success. Management has become increasingly        enthusiastic about the relationship between the S1P signaling        pathway (which ASONEP inhibits) and drug resistance that often        thwarts the progress of cancer patients. 

B. 2008 Goals Related to iSONEP(TM) Drug Development Program for Ocular Indications:

    1.  Submit an Investigational New Drug application (IND) to the FDA for        the use of iSONEP in Wet-AMD patients: Lpath submitted this IND in        April 2008 and the FDA gave approval to begin testing iSONEP in May.    2.  Initiate and execute iSONEP Phase 1 clinical program: Lpath plans to        initiate the iSONEP Phase 1 trial within a few weeks.    3.  Initiate studies outlined in the NIH grant: The company recently        initiated a key efficacy study in AMD funded by a Phase II grant        from the National Institutes of Health. 

C. 2008 Goals Related to Lpathomab(TM) Drug Development Program:

    1.  Identify lead (humanized) candidate:  In the first quarter of 2008,        Lpath chose its "lead" humanized variant of the anti-LPA antibody        ("Lpathomab"), which is now undergoing cell-line development (see        below).    2.  Evaluate various models of fibrosis, cancer, and neuropathic pain to        determine lead systemic indication: The company has demonstrated        compelling efficacy using the murine version of Lpathomab in the        prevention of pulmonary fibrosis and in various cancer models.        Confirmatory studies are ongoing with the humanized antibody.    3.  Evaluate various mechanisms of action in the eye to determine a lead        ocular indication:  Even though Lpath has demonstrated Lpathomab's        anti-angiogenic activity in animal models of Wet AMD, the company        has put on hold further efforts to assess Lpathomab as an ocular        drug candidate, primarily because its ocular mechanisms of action        are largely overlapping with iSONEP's.    4.  Begin cell-line development of Lpathomab:  In April, 2008, Lpath        initiated cell-line development, a key step towards larger-scale        manufacturing of the antibody.    5.  Complete IND-enabling studies to support one or more IND        applications in 2009: Lpath is on-track to begin various        IND-enabling studies later this year and into next year, and        therefore still expects to file an IND application in 2009. 

D. 2008 Goals Related to Leveraging Lpath’s Overall Value:

    1.  Leverage the value of ASONEP by confirming efficacy in animal models        of human multiple sclerosis: Lpath's collaborator, Dr. Howard Weiner        of Harvard Medical School, who demonstrated excellent results with        ASONEP in an acute EAE preclinical model of multiple sclerosis,        recently initiated an intervention study of remitting-relapsing        multiple sclerosis in mice.    2.  Leverage the value of iSONEP by confirming efficacy in specific        models of diabetes- and glaucoma-related diseases: These studies        will be started soon.    3.  Leverage Lpath's ImmuneY2(TM) drug-discovery engine by generating        additional monoclonal antibodies against novel bioactive-lipid        targets:  The company has chosen three additional bioactive-lipid        targets and expects to generate several new antibody candidates by        mid-2009. 

Lpath continues to make progress with its other important 2008 goals and objectives related to corporate governance, infrastructure building, and business development — all designed to support the company’s growth and success.

“Lpath continues an excellent record of achieving its stated goals and hitting major milestones,” said Scott R. Pancoast, Lpath president and CEO. “While a difficult funding environment led to a delay in the closing of our most recent financing, which, in turn, postponed the initiation of our iSONEP Phase 1 and a few other important projects, we are on target with a substantial part of our 2008 plan.”

About Lpath:

Lpath, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California, is the category leader in bioactive-lipid-targeted therapeutics, an emerging field of medical science whereby bioactive signaling lipids are targeted for treating important human diseases. ASONEP(TM) is an antibody against S1P that is presently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and also holds promise against multiple sclerosis and various other disorders. A second product candidate, iSONEP(TM) (the ocular formulation of the S1P antibody), has demonstrated superior results in various preclinical AMD and retinopathy models and has received FDA authorization to begin Phase 1 clinical trials. Lpath’s third product candidate, Lpathomab(TM), is an antibody against LPA, a key bioactive lipid that has been long recognized as a valid disease target (fibrosis, cancer, neuropathic pain). The company’s unique ability to generate novel antibodies against bioactive lipids is based on its ImmuneY2(TM) drug-discovery engine, which the company is leveraging to add to its pipeline. For more information, visit www.Lpath.com.

About Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. For example, there can be no assurance that results will be timely, necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained, the proposed treatments will prove to be safe or effective, or required clinical trials will be ultimately successful. Actual results may also differ substantially from those described in or contemplated by this press release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in our operations and business environment, including, without limitation, our limited experience in the development of therapeutic drugs, our dependence upon proprietary technology, our history of operating losses and accumulated deficits, our reliance on research grants, current and future competition, and other risks described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.

SOURCE: Lpath, Inc.

Greater Seattle-Area Health Care Providers Launch Free Web Site for Consumers to Easily Compare and Schedule Health Care

A progressive coalition of local health care providers — including Virginia Mason Medical Center, The Everett Clinic, Proliance Surgeons and Qliance Primary Care Specialists — today announced the launch of Carol.com (www.carol.com) for greater Seattle-area consumers. Carol.com is a free online marketplace that empowers consumers to easily compare and schedule health care.

Using Carol.com, Seattle-area residents for the first time can go online to review more than 100 health care services and compare how specific services vary among health care providers. When making a service selection, consumers can use the Web site to:

— Learn exactly what tests and procedures will be performed at the doctor’s office before arriving.

— Review quality data from the Puget Sound Health Alliance’s Community Checkup Report.

— Determine estimated costs for health care services prior to receiving them.

— Schedule health care services.

“We are partnering with Carol.com to make health care more approachable for patients,” said Gary S. Kaplan, MD, chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center. “This is one more way we can set ourselves apart as a leader in the health-care industry. Virginia Mason Medical Center welcomes the opportunity to offer and showcase our doctors and medical programs on Carol.com, and fully believes competing in an open marketplace will lead to greater care delivery innovation, better patient outcomes and improved cost control.”

Carol.com is designed for all people — those with and without health insurance, including those with high-deductible health plans. The goal of Carol.com and its partners is to provide Seattle-area consumers the transparency needed to make value-based health care decisions; much like the decisions consumers make every day with other goods and services.

“Carol.com is the first initiative and Web site that really starts to pull together, in a localized and personalized fashion, all of the pieces necessary for consumers to take action and become more engaged in their health,” said Rick Cooper, CEO for The Everett Clinic. “It was an easy decision for us to provide greater transparency through Carol.com, especially as consumers are being asked to take more responsibility for managing and funding their health.”

Care Packages: Another Health Care First

One of Carol.com’s unique aspects is the care package — a bundle of related health care services. Working with Carol.com, each health care provider creates, markets and sells distinct care packages. Care packages available at launch to greater Seattle-area residents primarily fall within nine categories: asthma; back pain; blood pressure/cholesterol management; diabetes; health and wellness for children, women and men; orthopedics and skin. Additionally, Seattle health care providers have developed innovative packages to deliver consumers new and valuable bundling options for receiving more coordinated care delivery. Example care packages include:

Virginia Mason

— Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Care Package

— Neck and Back Pain Care Package

— Other Care Packages

The Everett Clinic

— Women’s 3-in-1 Wellness Exam Care Package

— Mother and Child Wellness Exam Care Package

— Other Care Packages

Proliance Surgeons

— Care Packages

Qliance Primary Care Specialists

— Care Packages

When consumers schedule a care package, they will know the kind of care they will receive and the base price for that care before an appointment. Additionally, consumers can verify their insurance eligibility for a desired care package. Carol.com plans to add greater benefit plan integration throughout 2008-2009 to provide consumers more personalized price estimates.

“Carol.com is the first service to connect individuals and families directly to multiple health care providers, while incorporating the realities of a consumer’s health care benefits,” said Tony Miller, founder and CEO of Carol.com. “We’re excited to give people control over how they evaluate, choose and consume health services, and we strongly believe Seattle-area consumers are ready to be active participants in making health care more affordable, approachable and valuable.”

Seattle is the second community in which Carol.com is available. Carol.com launched for residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul in January 2008. The company plans to expand to additional markets in 2009.

About Carol.com

Founded in 2006, Carol.com is an online marketplace where consumers can shop, compare and purchase health care packages provided by a variety of large, medium and specialty medical facilities in their communities. The company focuses on transforming health care by creating a marketplace in which consumers compare health care services from local clinics and hospitals prior to purchase, and health care providers compete for their patronage. The Carol name was taken to honor the trusted family members, friends and associates people turn to when seeking advice or recommendations about health care. “We all know a ‘Carol’ in our lives.”

Keyword Tags

Carol.com, Virginia Mason Medical Center, The Everett Clinic, Proliance Surgeons, Qliance Primary Care Specialists, Puget Sound Health Alliance, Consumer-Driven Health Care, Health Care Packages, Seattle, Puget Sound, Health Care Reform, Consumerism, Health 2.0, Health Transparency.

Drug Firms Bankroll Attacks on NHS

By Jeremy Laurance

Charities’ protests against Nice funded by pharmaceutical companies Special investigation

The rising tide of protest over the refusal by the NHS to provide expensive drugs for cancer and other conditions is being funded by the pharmaceutical industry, an investigation by The Independent has revealed.

Patient groups that have been among the most vocal in spearheading attacks on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) over decisions to restrict access to drugs on the NHS depend for up to half of their income on drug companies, but details are often undisclosed.

The growing clamour over decisions by Nice to ban access to certain drugs has outraged patients and the public, and undermined confidence in the NHS.

Protests have been launched by charities including the National Kidney Federation, the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Beating Bowel Cancer, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Alzheimer’s Society. All of these charities received sums of up to six figures from drug companies in 2007.

The extent of the drug companies’ support for the smaller charities has led to criticisms that supposedly grassroots patient organisations are puppets of the pharmaceutical industry, being used to bludgeon Nice into making the drugs available on the health service. A positive decision by Nice on a drug not only guarantees sales to the NHS but can influence global markets worth billions of pounds.

Yet none of the charities named has criticised the high prices charged by the pharmaceutical companies for their products in their recent campaigns.

The National Kidney Federation (NKF) accused Nice of taking a “barbaric, damaging and unacceptable” decision when it turned down four kidney cancer drugs for NHS use this year and pledged to campaign against the decision. It did not criticise the cost of the drugs, at more than 3,000 for a 30-tablet pack. Half the NKF’s 300,000 budget comes from the pharmaceutical and renal industries.

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (Arma) organised a protest letter from 10 professors of rheumatology, published in The Sunday Times last month, over a recent Nice decision to restrict access to arthritis drugs. The letter made no mention of the cost of the drugs but Ros Meek, chief executive, admitted that “half, or more” of the charity’s 147,000 income came from the drug industry.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society described the same Nice decision as “another nail in the coffin” for arthritis treatment and launched an appeal against it this week, with Arma and three drug companies. The society received 49 per cent of its 300,000 budget from the pharmaceutical industry in 2005-06, reducing to 26 per cent of its 472,000 budget in 2006-07.

Beating Bowel Cancer, which condemned a Nice decision to turn down the bowel cancer drugs Avastin and Erbitux as “a scandal”, and assisted a BBC Panorama programme on the postcode lottery in drugs for cancer, received 10 per cent of its 1m income from pharmaceutical companies last year. It also made no mention of the cost of the treatments. Two of the biggest campaigns against Nice decisions in recent years were organised by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and the Alzheimer’s Society which, between them, represent millions of patients. Six figure sums were paid to both charities by drug companies last year but because they are large organisations, the donations accounted for less than 1 per cent of their total income.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has tightened its code on drug company funding of patient groups, which requires companies to agree grants in writing and to be transparent. Both the RNIB and the Alzheimer’s Society declare their drug company funding on their websites, in the spirit of the code, but many smaller charities do not. Tim Kendall, director of research at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said the pharmaceutical industry reached into “every corner of the health service” in order to gain influence.

“Drug companies will try to do anything to align their interests with those of patients. They do things at every level of the health service and we know they do it with patient groups. It is a multi- pronged approach to persuade patients that their drug is the one.”

10%

Amount of Beating Bowel Cancers income provided by drug companies in 2007

Cost effective?

The medication selection process

1. The drug is licensed for use as safe and effective by the European Medicines Agency.

2. The Department of Health refers the drug to Nice for assessment.

3. Nice convenes a committee of 20, including doctors, nurses, specialists, patients, drug company representatives and health economists.

4. The committee compares the new drug with existing drugs on cost and effectiveness.

5. The committee decides if the drug is cost effective using the Quality Adjusted Life Year (Qaly), a measure of health gain for quality and length of life.

6. Drugs are mostly approved up to 30,000 per Qaly.

Originally published by By Jeremy Laurance HEALTH EDITOR.

(c) 2008 Independent, The; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Emdeon Acquires GE Healthcare Business

US-based revenue and payment cycle management applications provider Emdeon has acquired GE Healthcare Information Technology’s patient statement business for an undisclosed sum.

The company said the GE healthcare business provides bulk printing and mailing services and serves more than 400 hospitals and physician groups. The acquisition will allow GE Healthcare IT’s clients to access Emdeon’s suite of integrated print and electronic patient billing services, return mail management, eCashiering, lockbox services and other patient communications.

George Langdon, vice president and general manager at GE Healthcare IT’s patient statement business, said: “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with Emdeon in an effort to meet the changing needs of our customers and market. Emdeon’s depth of healthcare communications services will provide additional value for our installed base.”

Last year, Emdeon acquired patient billing and payment applications provider IXT Solutions to strengthen its product portfolio.

Ppl Works For Option To Build Nuke Plant

By Tim Mekeel

PPL Corp. keeps propping open the window of opportunity to build a new nuclear plant.

The firm has started to apply to the U.S. Department of Energy for a federal loan guarantee, which the company would use to secure financing for plant construction.

PPL said Monday it will submit the second part of the application by the Dec. 19 deadline.

At the same time, PPL said it’s preparing its application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to build and operate the plant.

It expects to submit its license application by year-end.

All of these moves will allow PPL to go forward with the construction of the new nuclear plant, if it chooses to do so.

But that decision is several years away, PPL reiterated on Monday, and will hinge on whether it gets the loan guarantee and license, the future energy market and whether it can attract partners in the venture.

For more than a year, PPL has said it might want to build another nuclear plant someday.

While PPL has yet to decide whether to go forward, it has made a number of choices regarding the facility.

It would be named Bell Bend, sited near its existing two-unit nuclear plant in Berwick and have one unit that produces 1,600 megawatts.

In comparison, the Berwick plant – PPL’s largest – produces 2,370 megawatts.

Bell Bend would use the Evolutionary Power Reactor designed by AREVA of France. Plants using this technology now are under construction in Finland, France and China.

Costing about $10 billion to develop, Bell Bend would take seven to eight years to construct and begin operating in 2016 or 2017, said PPL spokesman Dan McCarthy.

(c) 2008 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Critical Pharmaceuticals Enter Sustained Release hGH Arena

NOTTINGHAM, England, October 1 /PRNewswire/ — Critical Pharmaceuticals, the Nottingham, UK-based speciality pharmaceuticals company, today announced that the successful completion of preclinical trials of a sustained release formulation of the synthetic human growth hormone (hGH) somatropin. Trials demonstrated therapeutic plasma concentrations were achieved over an extended period of time supporting the development of the product as a once every two weekly injection. In addition, the efficacy profile using biomarkers was comparable to current daily formulations.

The new formulation was produced using Critical’s patented CriticalMix delivery technology, which is based on world leading supercritical fluid expertise. This enables the optimal encapsulation of drugs into injectable microparticles with superior drug release properties. hGH delivery is a natural application for this technology, and the company now intends to take this product forward into Phase 1 clinical trials. This decision coincides with a recent report by Frost & Sullivan valuing the European market at $846.4m in 2007, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4 per cent from 2007 to 2014. The report also highlighted new delivery methods together with approval for new indications as keys to success.

According to Chief Business Officer Gareth King, these preclinical results mark an important milestone for the company: “Over the past few years, we have concentrated on optimizing our delivery technologies and ensuring they are transferable from the lab into an industrial setting. Sustained release hGH is one of three projects we are now developing in areas of unmet need. There is no doubt that a sustained release version of hGH would be preferred by patients, particularly paediatric, but there are naturally concerns over safety and efficacy. We are confident the highly controlled release rates achieved with our technology will overcome these concerns. The plan is now to take this product into clinic either by ourselves or in partnership. We are also in preclinical development with sustained release Risperidone and, demonstrating the versatility of our technology platform, a once-daily nasal formulation of hGH.”

About Critical Pharmaceuticals

Critical Pharmaceuticals is a Nottingham UK-based biotechnology company with proprietary drug delivery technologies for the sustained release and nasal delivery of proteins and peptides and labile or insoluble small molecules. Critical Pharmaceuticals was founded by Professor Steve Howdle in 2002 based on his world leading research into supercritical fluids. Professor Howdle noticed that supercritical carbon dioxide was able to liquify certain polymers, and in a moment of inspiration realised that this could be used to encapsulate thermally labile or solvent sensitive drugs to create injectable sustained release products. As well as working in partnership with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the company is now developing a pipeline of reformulated drug candidates for areas of unmet needs including human growth hormone. For more information visit http://www.criticalpharmaceuticals.com/

   Corporate Inquiries   Gareth King, Chief Business Officer   Critical Pharmaceuticals,   BioCity Nottingham NG1 1GF UK   Tel +44-115-8820100; +44-7720-051988   Email: [email protected]  

Critical Pharmaceuticals

CONTACT: Corporate Inquiries: Gareth King, Chief Business Officer,Critical Pharmaceuticals, BioCity Nottingham NG1 1GF UK, Tel +44-115-8820100;+44-7720-051988, Email: [email protected]. MediaInquiries, Richard Hayhurst, Hayhurst Media, Tel +44-7711-821-527, Email:[email protected]

Lumiphore Partners With Biophor Diagnostics, Inc. To Develop Tests for Drugs of Abuse; Appoints Ibis Biosciences Founder David J. Ecker to Board

RICHMOND, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ — Lumiphore, Inc., a biotechnology leader in the development of new proprietary fluorescent metal-lanthanide technology for use in high-value applications, announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Biophor Diagnostics, Inc., Redwood City, California to apply Lumiphore products in diagnostic tests for drugs of abuse.

Under the agreement, Biophor Diagnostics holds the exclusive worldwide rights to Lumi4(TM) technology in current and future diagnostic tests of this type. Lumi4(TM) fluorescent metal-reporter compounds bring increased sensitivity, stability, and robustness to assays in the drugs of abuse testing market through their excellent fade-resistant photophysical properties.

This is the third strategic partnership reached by Lumiphore in the past three years. Previous partnerships include Cis Bio International (http://www.htrf.com/company/partners/) for the drug discovery research market and Echelon Biosciences Inc. (http://www.echelon-inc.com/) for novel cancer assays involving phospholipid signaling and lipid-protein interactions.

The company today also announced the appointment of Dr. David J. Ecker to its board of directors. Dr. Ecker is Chief Scientific Officer and a founder of Ibis Biosciences and a co-founder and Vice President of Isis Pharmaceuticals. He brings to the board deep experience in successful biotech commercialization as well as specific technical expertise in detection and assay platforms.

Dr. Ecker has over 24 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry in cancer and infectious disease research and development. He was a primary inventor of the Ibis T5000 biosensor technology, and has authored more than 80 scientific publications and over 50 U.S. patents. His extensive publications span biosensor technology, infectious disease research, biodefense and gene construction/expression. His previous experience includes assistant director, Department of Molecular Genetics at SmithKline and French (now GlaxoSmithKline).

About Lumiphore | Based in Richmond, California, Lumiphore is a biotechnology leader in the development of proprietary fluorescent-metal lanthanide technology for use in high-value applications which are commercialized through market-specific alliances with corporate partners. Lumiphore has exclusive licenses to the basic science developed at the University of California, Berkeley in the laboratory of Professor Kenneth N. Raymond, a world expert on lanthanide chemistry. Metal lanthanide reporters provide increased sensitivity for fluorescent reagents in biology through time-resolved detection which vastly improves assay signals over background noise. For more information about Lumiphore, log onto http://www.lumiphore.com/.

Lumi4(TM) is a trademark of Lumiphore, Inc.

CONTACT: Stephen Blose, +1-415-381-4457, for Lumiphore, Inc.

Lumiphore, Inc.

CONTACT: Stephen Blose, +1-415-381-4457, for Lumiphore, Inc.

Web site: http://www.lumiphore.com/http://www.htrf.com/company/partnershttp://www.echelon-inc.com/http://www.nextphasecommunications.com/

NOAA Addresses the Marine Debris Problem

By Bamford, Holly A McElwee, Kris; Morishige, Carey

Creating Partnerships and Innovative Solutions to an Ocean and Coastal Threat In 2005, the receding iloodwaters of Hurricane Katrina deposited tons of material offshore, creating a marine debris problem hazardous to fishing and boating activities. Thousands of mi les away i n the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, more than 50 tons of derelict fishing gear accumulates in the shallow waters of these remote islands each year, damaging coral reefs and entangling endangered Hawaiian monk seals. North of the Hawaiian Islands in the open Pacific Ocean, vast amounts of small plastic debris concentrate in certain areas and may be eaten by sea turtles, seabirds or other marine life, with potentially life-threatening effects. Closer to shore in areas such as the Chesapeake Bay and the California coast, derelict fishing gear continues to “ghost fish,” a term for when lost or abandoned fishing gear continues to catch prey without being retrieved by fishermen to harvest.

In all parts of the world, marine debris continues to present a hazard to marine ecosystems and safe navigation. The problem of marine debris requires a continued effort to establish sustainable programs, partnerships and innovative technologies to remove, reduce and prevent this form of marine pollution from impacting the ocean environment.

To improve efforts to address marine debris, in 2005 the U.S. Congress created the Marine Debris Program (MDP) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA program was formalized in 2006, when President George W. Bush signed the Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act into law. This act established a centralized program within NOAA to organize, strengthen and enhance marine debris efforts within the agency, with its partners and the public.

NOAA’s Marine Debris Program

The NOAA MDP is a national program that supports both nationwide and international efforts focused on identifying, preventing and reducing the occurrence of marine debris. These efforts protect the United States’ natural resources, oceans and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine debris. The type of marine debris the program addresses is persistent, solid material that is disposed of or abandoned in the marine environment.

The MDP operates out of the NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, but has a handful of program coordinators located around the coastal United States who support regional projects. While program coordinators lead a number of projects, a majority of their time is spent coordinating with other NOAA programs and nonfederal partners who implement projects funded by the MDP. These projects are awarded to the partners through three competitive proposal processes developed by the MDP. This partnership approach allows for the broadest reach of marine debris reduction and prevention activities tailored to regional debris problems.

Due to the diversity of the ocean and coastal environments, marine debris projects vary widely from region to region and require innovative solutions to address each unique challenge. Since 2005, the MDP has funded more than 100 projects across the nation in partnership with others to address identified needs in marine debris research, prevention and monitoring. Many projects require recasting or creating technologies and methods to successfully carry out the goals of the work. For example, proven technologies such as side scan sonar and manned submersibles have been implemented in various marine debris projects. Several of these projects and their methods are discussed below.

Selected U.S. Projects

Ghost Fishing in Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is home to one of the nation’s largest blue crab fisheries. In the bay, crab traps are the primary harvesting method used. Estimates suggest that, historically, as many as 500,000 crab traps (pots) were set within the bay on a typical day during the fishery’s peak season. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) has conducted routine benthic habitat surveys and discovered a large number of derelict crab traps lying within blue crab habitat. To investigate this finding, NCBO implemented the derelict fishing gear identification, mapping and assessment project to quantify “ghost traps” in various areas of the bay. To do this, NCBO and its research partners use side scan sonar to locate, identify and count derelict traps. Scientists then check how well the side scan sonar detects derelict traps by ground- truthing the findings using underwater video cameras, grappling devices and divers. Project researchers have also conducted experiments to estimate the effects of these ghost fishing derelict traps on the populations of blue crab and other bycatch species.

Survey results from this study, which began three years ago, show ghost trap densities in surveyed areas range from 10 to 690 traps per square kilometer. The overall number of lost crab traps in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay is approximately 40,000. Further research and analysis will refine these numbers and the NCBO’s understanding of how derelict crab traps affect living resources in the Chesapeake Bay.

Hawaii Shoreline Aerial Surveys. Derelict fishing gear in Hawaii’s coastal and marine habitats presents a potentially lethal entanglement hazard to numerous marine species, most notably the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal, the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered humpback whale. In addition to fouling coastal habitats and presenting an immediate threat to wildlife, derelict gear also damages coral reefs. This project, led by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, began in 2006. Aerial helicopter surveys were conducted off the coastlines surrounding the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu to determine the distribution and abundance of marine debris on the beaches and in nearshore waters.

More than 700 derelict fishing gear locations were mapped in a geographic information system, which was subsequently used to support crews in removing more than 37 tons of derelict fishing gear from the beaches around Lanai and Oahu. Results from these surveys are being used to assist coastal managers, along with local communities, in identifying and prioritizing cleanup areas and targeting specific sites for future monitoring. This year, a follow- up aerial survey is being conducted to assess accumulation rates and provide updated maps of debris.

Hurricane Debris Surveys. During the 2005 hurricane season, hurricanes Katrina and Rita inflicted severe damage on the Gulf of Mexico coastal region and deposited huge amounts of debris in the water off the Gulf Coast. To identify and map this debris, survey work began in September 2006 in Alabama, Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey used side scan sonar to survey the area and found more than 5,000 submerged potential debris items, referred to as contacts. The sonar contacts were mapped and posted, along with additional contact data, on the project’s interactive Web site to advise boaters and assist with ongoing marine debris removal work.

In 2008, these efforts have continued with offshore surveys along the Louisiana coast to map new sonar contacts and make the information available on the project Web site. The Web site provides printable static maps in PDF format, along with geographic coordinates that can be easily downloaded into a global positioning system and an interactive mapping option that allows the user to zoom into a specific area to get more information, including the location and estimated contact dimensions. The Web site has become a valuable resource not only to the public, but also in the coordination and planning of survey and removal operations.

Debris Detection at Sea. Fishing gear that has been lost or discarded is a chronic threat to the coral reef ecosystems of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Derelict gear entrained in the North Racific Subtropical Convergence Zone is strained out by the reefs and shoals of the monument, causing physical damage to the reef and endangering wildlife. Derelict fishing gear has been the target of intensive removal efforts since 1996, but additional efforts are needed to keep pace with deposition rates, as well as to remove the debris before it has a chance to impact the monument.

The ability to predict areas of high marine debris concentration in the open ocean is currently limited. A summit of NOAA, other government agencies and private sector experts in marine debris, oceanography, remote sensing and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) will be held later this year to review current knowledge, share information and develop strategies that will move NOAA and its partners closer to an operational mode of at-sea detection and removal of marine debris. In addition, nearshore flights of a UAS will test airworthiness, autonomous flight capabilities, video acquisition and anomaly detection.

These tests will allow better evaluation of UASs and other technologies for locating marine debris at sea, with the goal of removing it before it harms natural resources or imperils navigation and fishing efforts. California Deepwater Debris. Historically, efforts to address marine debris have focused mainly on the cleanup of shallow shoreline and subtidal (less than 30 meters deep) areas. Because of this, little is known about the extent of the problem and its potential impact on seafloor habitats in deeper waters. Since 1993, researchers with NOAA Fisheries and other organizations have collected information on fishes, invertebrates, seafloor habitats and marine debris in deep waters (20 to 365 meters) off central and southern California.

These researchers use the manned submersible Delta to make direct observations, which are also recorded by video cameras. These researchers are interested in the distribution, abundance, type and possible impact of the marine debris.

Results have shown that the primary source of debris is fishing, both recreational and commercial, though many other types of debris have also been observed.

To date, most of the gear recorded was not actively fishing, and few entangled animals were observed. Some of the debris is used as habitat by marine organisms.

The 2008 study builds on previous work and looks at the changes in marine debris that have occurred over the past 10 to 15 years. Marine debris locations will be mapped and debris “hot spots” will be identified.

Summary

It is clear that the problem of marine debris is broad in scope and nature. In order to effectively address the issue, a continued coordinated effort is needed that includes long-term partnerships that support marine debris technology unique to each region. Since 2005, the NOAA MDP has initiated more than TOO projects around the country to address this problem. Depending on the nature of the marine debris issue, various standard techniques and methods have been deployed in innovative ways to more directly detect, monitor, remove and assess marine debris in U.S. oceans and seas. These techniques range from aerial surveys thousands of feet above the water to submersibles near the ocean floor. Through the ongoing efforts of the NOAA MDP and its partners, the protection and conservation of the nation’s natural resources, oceans and coastal waterways will continue.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the project’s partners, NCBO, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

Visit our Web site at www.sea-technology.com, and click on the title of this article in the Table of Contents to be linked to the respective company’s Web site.

First ocean test flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle Malolo I off the north shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

(Above) Information on submerged debris located with side scan sonar (top right) and debris removal efforts (bottom right) in the Gulf of Mexico is available on the project Web site (left). (Photo courtesy of NOAA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and fisheries.)

(Below) Side scan sonar (top left) shows locations of derelict crab traps in the Chesapeake Bay (right). Tagged crabs help determine the impact of lost gear (bottom left). (Photo courtesy of / VOAA.)

By Dr. Holly A. Bamford

Program Director

Kris McElwee

Pacific Islands Coordinator

and

Carey Morishige

Outreach Coordinator

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program

Silver Spring, Maryland

Dr. Holly A. Bamford is the program director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program. Bamford has studied in the field of coastal and ocean pollution for more than 15 years.

Kris McElwee is the Pacific Islands coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Pro-gram, on contract from I.M. Systems Croup.

Carey Morishige is the outreach coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, on contract from I.M. Systems Croup. Carey holds an M.S. in animal science and a B.A. in zoology from the University of Hawaii and has worked in Hawaii’s marine conservation field for more than seven years.

Copyright Compass Publications, Inc. Sep 2008

(c) 2008 Sea Technology. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Successful Treatment of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Ventriculitis in a Pediatric Patient With Linezolid

By Maranich, Ashley M Rajnik, Michael

ABSTRACT Although vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infection of the central nervous system is not common, this organism is becoming an increasing problem in nosocomial infections. We report a 17- month-old male infant with an externalized ventricular peritoneal shunt secondary to infection who subsequently developed a vancomycin- resistant Enterococcus faecium ventriculitis. This infection was successfully treated with a 28-day course of linezolid while monitoring linezolid drug levels in both the cerebral spinal fluid and serum. This case supports the use of linezolid in treating such resistant infections. However, our drug level results suggest that further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dosing of linezolid in treatment of central nervous system infection in pediatric patients. INTRODUCTION

Enterococcal central nervous system (CNS) infections are not common. However, the emergence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species (VRE) has made treatment of these infections challenging. As the spread of VRE species becomes an increasing problem in the hospital setting, it is important that we continue to investigate potential treatments for meningitis caused by this pathogen.

We describe a case of VRE ventriculitis in a hospitalized 17- month-old male with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) successfully treated with intravenous (IV) linezolid. Additionally, therapeutic drug monitoring of the serum and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was conducted to further elucidate CSF penetration of linezolid in a pediatric patient.

CASE REPORT

Our patient is a 17-month-old male with a history of VPS placement soon after birth secondary to congenital hydrocephalus. Three months following a shunt infection with a coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species and subsequent revision, he presented to the pediatric clinic with fever and emesis. Initial CSF sampling from the shunt was reassuring without pleocytosis, but the patient was empirically started on vancomycin for potential shunt infection. The CSF culture grew a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and he was switched to nafcillin resulting in quick CSF sterilization. In addition, his shunt was externalized on hospital day (HD) 3 with subsequent placement of an external ventricular drain on HD 9.

The patient showed clinical deterioration on HD 14 with antibiotics then changed to vancomycin and meropenem. A new CSF culture grew both Klebsiella oxytoca and a nonmeningitidis Neisseria species. These bacteria were treated with ceftriaxone for 21 days with successful CSF sterilization by HD 17. CSF was subsequently monitored by intermittent sampling and, on HD 21, cultures were positive for Enterococcus faecium. Vancomycin resistance was identified on the VITEK system (bioMerieux, Durham, North Carolina). Further analysis by E-testing and Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion demonstrated resistance to meropenem, ampicillin, and rifampin with possible susceptibility to linezolid (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)

Therapy was initiated with linezolid, at a dose of 10 mg/kg given IV every 8 hours. Measurements of linezolid drug levels were obtained on day 3 of linezolid therapy from a commercially available laboratory with achievement of a peak serum level of 5.62 [mu]g/mL and a peak CSF level of 1.51 [mu]g/mL. The CSF was sterile by day 4 of therapy, and his VPS was successfully reinternalized after completing 14 days of linezolid therapy. IV treatment was continued for 18 days, at which time he was transitioned to oral linezolid to complete a 28-day course. The patient tolerated the therapy without any adverse clinical effects. Weekly complete blood counts obtained throughout the treatment period remained at age appropriate levels without myelosuppression. Additionally, chemistry panels and liver function tests were obtained twice while on linezolid therapy. These values, too, showed no abnormalities nor any significant change from values obtained before initiating therapy. At 6 months posthospitalization follow-up, the patient was found to be in his baseline state of health without recurrence of infection.

DISCUSSION

In a recent review of CNS infections caused by Enterococcus species, Pintado et al.1 found only 15 total cases attributable to vancomycin-resistant species. VRE, however, is becoming an increasing problem in hospital settings as a cause of nosocomial infections. It is therefore important that we continue to search for effective therapies to treat the spectrum of VRE disease, to include CNS infections.

A complete review of the literature shows only seven reports of patients with VRE CNS infection successfully treated with linezolid as outlined in Table I. Only one of these patients is in the pediatric age range,2 with ours being the second pediatric patient with VRE CNS infection to achieve sterilization using IV linezolid. Despite the small numbers, these previously reported successes do suggest that linezolid may be an option for treating CNS infections after trauma or surgery in patients at risk for resistant organisms.

Linezolid is a member of the oxazolidinone class of antibiotics that act via inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis by blocking formation of the ribosomal initiation complex. It is bacteriostatic against Gram-positive bacteria, to include resistant strains such as VRE, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and S. aureus. Little has been reported about the pharmacokinetics of this medication in the pediatric population. It is known, however, that more rapid drug clearance occurs in pediatric patients when compared to adults. This increased clearance is the basis for the accepted pediatric dosing recommendation of 10 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours used in our patient.9

Studies of linezolid levels in healthy volunteers have shown CSF/ plasma ratios of 0.7.8 This value was similar to the ratios of 0.5 to 0.8 in case reports of VRE meningitis treated with linezolid by Hachem et al. and Zeana et al.3,8 Additionally, Shaikh et al.5 showed a relatively stable CSF drug level (in comparison to serum levels) throughout a single dosing interval at steady state. Villani et al.9 further examined CSF penetration of linezolid in five postneurosurgical patients on monotherapy with linezolid. In these patients, CSF/serum drug level ratios were always >1, with troughs well in excess of the MIC for identified isolates. All of this data, however, is in adult patients only.

The measured peak drug levels in our patient were much lower than in similar reported measurements in adult patients. Nonetheless, the CSF level likely still exceeded the MIC for our identified isolate as CSF sterility was quickly achieved. Despite the clinical success, the CNS drug levels measured were lower than expected, raising questions about appropriate linezolid dosing in pediatric patients. As the use of linezolid increases for therapy of resistant infections in the pediatric population, it may be necessary to further investigate the appropriate dose to provide sufficient CSF penetration.

CONCLUSIONS

We describe the successful treatment of VRE meningitis with linezolid in a pediatric patient using the current recommended pediatric dosing of 10 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours. Although this option was both efficacious and safe, the unexpectedly low linezolid levels in the CSF, indicate that further research is needed to determine optimal linezolid dosing for pediatric CNS infections.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Report of this case was approved by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Institutional Review Board.

REFERENCES

1. Pintado V, Cabellos C, Moreno S, Meseguer MA, Ayats J, Viladrich PF: Enterococcal meningitis: a clinical study of 39 cases and review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 2003; 82: 346- 64.

2. Graham PL, Ampofo K, Saiman L: Linezolid treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ventriculitis. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2002; 21: 798-800.

3. Hachem R, Afif C, Gokaslan Z, Raad I: Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus meningitis with linezolid. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2001; 20: 432-4.

4. Kanchanapoom T, Koirala J, Goodrich J, Agamah E, Khardori N: Treatment of central nervous system infection by vancomycin- resistant Enterococcus faecium. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2003; 45: 213-5.

5. Shaikh ZH, Peloquin CA, Ericsson CD: Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium meningitis with linezolid: case report and literature review. Scand J Infect Dis 2001; 33: 375- 9.

6. Steinmetz MP, Vogelbaum MA, De Georgia MA, Andrefsky JC, Isada C: Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus meningitis with linezolid: case report and review of the literature. Crit Care Med 2001; 29: 2383-5.

7. Tsai TN, Wu CP, Peng MY, Giian CF, Lee SY, Lu JJ: Short course of linezolid treatment for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium meningitis. Int J Clin Pract 2006; 60: 740-1.

8. Zeana C, Kubin CJ, Della-Latta P, Hammer SM: Vancomycin- resistant Enterococcus faecium meningitis successfully managed with linezolid: case report and review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 2001; 33: 477-82.

9. Villani P, Regazzi MB, Marubbi F, et al: Cerebrospinal fluid linezolid concentrations in postneurosurgical central nervous system infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002; 46: 936-7.

CPT Ashley M. Maranich, MC USA*[dagger]; Lt Col Michael Rajnik, USAF MC* * Department of Pediatrics, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

[dagger] Department of Pediatrics, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20307.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or U.S. government.

This manuscript was received for review in August 2007. The revised manuscript was accepted for publication in March 2008.

Copyright Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Sep 2008

(c) 2008 Military Medicine. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Genetic Polymorphism of CYP2C19 & Therapeutic Response to Proton Pump Inhibitors

By Chaudhry, A S Kochhar, R; Kohli, K K

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are extensively metabolized in the liver by CYP2C19, that demonstrates genetic polymorphism with 21 mutant alleles. The subjects can be divided into 2 groups with respect to CYP2C19 phenotypes viz., extensive metabolizers (EMs) and poor metabolizers (PMs) of PPIs. This division results in marked interindividual variations in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PPIs in the population. Intragastric pH values and the plasma concentration of PPIs after oral ingestion were significantly lower in EMs namely normal homozygotes (CYP2C19*1/*1) and heterozygotes (CYP2C19*1/*X) compared to PMs namely mutant homozygotes (CYP2C19*X/*X) where ‘X’ represents the mutant allele. Hence, association has been found between the genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 and therapeutic response to PPIs. CYP2C19 polymorphism affected eradication of Helicobacter pylori using diferent PPI based eradication therapies as PM patients demonstrated significantly higher eradication rates compared to EMs. CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism also affects the therapeutic outcome of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), reflux oesophagitis and duodenal ulcers. For optimal therapeutic response with PPIs, CYP2C19 pharmacogenetics should be taken into consideration. This shall help in the prescription of optimal doses of PPIs, thus paving the way for personalized medication. Key words CYP2C19 – Helicobacter pylori – pharmacogenetics – proton pump inhibitors

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are the drug metabolizing enzymes found primarily in the liver. Inter-individual variations in the metabolism of drugs have been observed in different ethnic groups due to the occurrence of genetic polymorphism of the drug metabolizing enzymes. Genetic polymorphism is the occurrence of a variant allele with a frequency of 1 per cent or greater in a population. Although various allelic forms of different CYPs have been reported, functional polymorphism has only been established for CYP2A6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP2D61. On the basis of genetic polymorphism a population may be divided into two groups namely extensive metabolizers (EMs) demonstrating normal metabolism of the drugs and poor metabolizers (PMs) demonstrating impaired metabolism of drugs due to the deficiency of CYPs. The first PM of mephenytoin, a probe drug for CYP2C19, was reported by Kupfer et al in 19792. Subsequently the genetic basis of CYP2C19 PM trait was demonstrated3,4. Omeprazole (OPZ)5 and proguanil6 are the other probe drugs used to assess the activity of CYP2C19. Subjects having a log hydroxylation index value more than 1.7 for OPZ5 and a urinary proguanil to cycloguanil ratio6 greater than 10 are classified as PMs. CYP2C19 gene is located on long arm of chromosome 10 (10q24.1- 10q24.3). It has 9 exons and 8 introns. The cDNA is 1473 bp in length. Twenty one mutant alleles of CYP2C19 have been reported3,4,7- 11 (Fig.). CYP2C19*2 to CYP2C19*8 were discovered in the subjects who demonstrated decreased ability to metabolize the probe drugs, whereas CYP2C19*9 to CYP2C19*15 were reported by direct sequencing of the genomic DNA from lymphoblastoid cell lines8 represented by Caucasians, Asians and Africans. CYP2C19*16 was reported in a Japanese subject demonstrating a lowered capacity to hydroxylate mephobarbital9. CYP2C19*17 discovered recently by direct sequencing of 5′ flanking region was shown to be the first mutant CYP2C19 allele associated with ultrarapid drug metabolism10. CYP2C19*18 to CYP2C19*21 were reported by direct sequencing of all exons of CYP2C19 in Japanese subjects12. Different research groups have reported variable cure rates in patients possessing different CYP2C19 genotypes. Here we review the effect of CYP2C19 phenotypes and genotypes on the therapeutic response to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) based upon the clinical observations reported in the literature.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)

The major PPIs are OPZ, lansoprazole (LPZ), pantoprazole (PPZ) and rabeprazole (RPZ). These are used for the treatment of non ulcer dyspepsia (NUD), reflux oesophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Helicobacter pylori infection, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, prevention and treatment of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs associated damage, treatment of Zollinger- Ellison syndrome and other hyper acidic conditions. PPIs are prodrugs that, after oral administration get absorbed into the systemic circulation. After absorption, these enter the gastric parietal cells from the plasma where in the acidic milieu these are arranged non enzymatically to form active sulphenamide derivatives which then bind covalently to sulphhydryl groups of H+/K+ ATPase inhibiting these irreversibly. All PPIs have a common pyridinyl sulphinyl benzimidazole backbone. These are extensively metabolized in the liver by CYPs to inactive metabolites13. Although both CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 are involved in the metabolism of PPIs, the major pathways are catalyzed by CYP2C19. OPZ is mainly 5-hydroxylated by CYP2C19 and partially by CYP3A4 to OPZ sulphone. LPZ is converted to 5-OH-LPZ by CYP2C19 and to LPZ sulphone by CYP3A4. PPZ is mainly converted to demethylated PPZ by CYP2C19 but a minor pathway to PPZ sulphone by CYP3A4 also exist14. RPZ is mainly metabolized nonenzymatically to RPZ thioether but minor pathways to demethylated RPZ by CYP2C19 and RPZ sulfone by CYP3A4 also exists14. Specifically, since CYP2C19 plays a major role in the metabolism, studies have linked genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 with therapeutic response.

Genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19

Genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 occurs with varying frequency among different ethnic groups viz., 15-22.5 per cent in Japanese15,16, 12.6 per cent in Koreans17,13-20 per cent in Chinese11,12 per cent in north Indians5, 14 per cent in south Indians18, 2.8-5.2 per cent in Africans19,20,0.95 to 7 per cent in CaucasianEuropeans21,22, 2 per cent in African-Americans23, 2.4-2.6 per cent in Caucasian-Americans24,25 and 70 per cent in Vanuatu islands of Melanesia26.

CYP2C19 genotypes and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PPIs

It has been observed that usual doses of PPIs in EMs could not attain plasma levels that are sufficient to cause acid inhibitory effect. Hence, intragastric pH is lower in EMs. On the other hand, duration of exposure to high plasma concentration of PPIs is longer in PMs and the proton pumps in parietal cells remain inactivated for longer period resulting in higher pH and a better therapeutic outcome27-36.

Table I summarizes different studies correlating pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 with pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of OPZ, LPZ and RPZ in various ethnic groups. The direct CYP2C19 gene dose effect is evident from the significantly different plasma area under curve (AUC) and half life values of OPZ, LPZ and RPZ after oral administeration in three CYP2C19 genotype groups. CYP2C19 normal homozygotes demonstrated lowest, heterozygotes intermediate and mutant homozygotes highest AUC and plasma half life values of these PPIs. Varying plasma concentrations and half lives of PPIs in different CYP2C19 genotype groups lead to differences in inhibition of the acid secretion from the gastric parietal cells. Thus, intragastric pH after treatment with OPZ, LPZ and RPZ differed significantly between three CYP2C19 genotype groups. CYP2C19 normal homozygotes demonstrated lowest, heterozygotes intermediate and mutant homozygotes highest intragastric pH values. Gastrin AUC values also depended significantly on CYP2C19 genotypes. CYP2C19 normal homozygotes demonstrated lowest, heterozygotes intermediate and mutant homozygotes highest gastrin AUC values. Thus, majority of observations demonstrated that CYP2C19 pharmacogenetics influences the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PPIs. Thus, the proton pumps in parietal cells are inactivated by higher concentration of PPIs and for a longer time in CYP2C19 mutant homozygotes resulting in a stronger acid inhibition and higher intragastric pH. Hence, if CYP2C19 genotypes are known prior to PPI based treatment, an optimal dose can be prescribed jn order to achieve a better therapeutic outcome.

CYP2C19 genotypes in chemotherapy of H, pylori

H. pylori was discovered in the stomach of patients with gastritis and peptic ulceration37. Eversince infection of mucosa of stomach and duodenum by H. pylori has been found to be associated with gastritis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, gastric carcinoma and other upper gastrointestinal disorders38-40. Different treatment regimens are used to eradicate H. pylori but the best results are achieved by triple therapy consisting of a combination of two antibiotics [amoxicillin (AMC), clarithromycin (CAM), tinidazole (TNZ) and metronidazole (MNZ)] and one PPI41. PPIs are an important part of anti H. pylori therapy as these increase the pH of the stomach to levels where the antibiotics are stable and thus increase the bioavailability of antibiotics42. OPZ is known to increase the concentration of AMC in gastric juice43. OPZ per se demonstrated anti H. pylori activity44. A relationship between CYP2C19 genotypes and cure rates of H. pylori on treatment with PPI based dual, triple and quadruple therapy has been demonstrated in Orientals and Caucasians (Table II).

CYP2C19 genotypes in PPI based dual eradication therapy. Furuta et al45 treated H. pylori positive gastric ulcer Japanese patients with 20 mg OPZ quaque die (qd) for 8 wk and 500 mg AMC quarter in die (qid) for first 2 wk and duodenal ulcer Japanese patients with 20 mg OPZ (qd) for 6 wk and 500 mg AMC (qid) for first 2 wk. They reported 29, 60 and 100 per cent H. pylon eradication in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Higher cure rates observed in mutant homozygotes were attributed to higher plasma concentration of OPZ. Gastric pH was found to be highest in mutant homozygotes, intermediate in heterozygotes and least in normal homozygotes. Stability and antibacterial activity of AMC were maximum at high pH. High dose of OPZ may thus be required to achieve high cure rates of H. pylori infection in EMs who metabolize PPIs efficiently. Therapy with 20 mg OPZ bis in die (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) for 1 wk demonstrated 100 per cent eradication in Japanese mutant homozygotes compared to 40 and 42 per cent in normal homozygotes and heterozygotes, .respectively46. Therefore, anti H. pylori effect of dual therapy is efficient in PMs and hence suggests that CAM can be avoided for therapy of CYP2C19 PMs. Furuta etal41 treated Japanese H. pylori positive gastritis patients with 10 mg RPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC ter in die (tid) for 2 wk. A significant difference in cure rates among 3 genotypes viz., normal homozygotes (61%), heterozygotes (92%) and mutant homozygotes (94%) was observed. The non eradicated patients consisting of normal homozygotes and heterozygotes when treated with a high RPZ dose dual therapy consisting of 10 mg RPZ (qid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) for 2 wk demonstrated 100 per cent H. pylori eradication. Thus, H. pylori eradication with RPZ also depends on CYP2C19 genotypes. H. pylori infected Japanese normal homozygotes were successfully treated with high doses of dual therapy with 40 mg OPZ (tid) and 750 mg AMC (tid) after failure to eradicate H. pylori with usual PPI based triple therapy48. Triple therapy with OPZ, AMC and CAM is not necessary in PMs as dual therapy with OPZ and AMC is highly efficient. CAM increases the plasma concentration of PPIs, since it inhibits CYP2C19 and CYP3A4, resulting in higher cure rates in EMs. Plasma concentration of OPZ in healthy Japanese PMs following CAM and OPZ coadministration was 34 times higher than normal homozygote EMs49. Contrary to above observations, Miyoshi et al50 after treatment of H. pylori positive Japanese patients with OPZ 20 mg (bid) and AMC 500 mg (tid) for 14 days demonstrated a statistically non significant difference in eradication i.e., 73.9, 68.8 and 83.3 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Also on treatment with RPZ 10 mg (bid) and AMC 500 mg (tid) for 14 days, a statistically non significant difference in eradication i.e., 71.4, 77.1 and 73.3 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively was observed50. CYP2C19 genotypes in PPI based triple eradication therapy: Using a triple therapy of 20 mg OPZ (bid), 500 mg AMC (qid), 200 mg CAM (qid) for 1 wk, 100 per cent eradication was achieved in PMs compared to 75 and 88 per cent in normal homozygotes and heterozygotes, respectively46. Two hundred sixty one H. pylori positive Japanese patients were prescribed triple therapy [20 mg OPZ or 30 mg LPZ (bid), 500 mg AMC (tid) and 200 mg CAM (tid) for 1 wk] and 73, 92 and 98 per cent eradication was observed in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively51. Noneradicated group consisted of 69 per cent normal homozygotes, 28 per cent heterozygotes and 3 per cent mutant homozygotes who were then treated with higher doses of dual therapy depending on CYP2C19 genotypes. Normal homozygotes and heterozygotes were retreated with 30 mg LPZ (qid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) whereas the mutant homozygotes with 30 mg LPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid). The final eradication rate of 99.6 per cent was achieved51. Therefore, by adjusting the doses according to CYP2C19 genotypes and selecting the antibiotic to which the bacteria is sensitive, dual therapy is sufficient to cure H. pylori infection. Kawabata et al52 treated 80 H. pylori positive Japanese patients with triple therapy consisting of 30 mg LPZ (bid), 750 mg AMC (bid) and 400 mg CAM (bid) and observed 73, 74 and 83 per cent H. pylori eradication in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Similar observations were reported in Caucasians. Sapone et al53 reported the first pharmacogenomic study with respect to CYP2C19 genotypes and H. pylori eradication in Italian Caucasians. Using a triple therapy of 20 mg OPZ (bid), 1000 mg AMC (bid) and 500 mg CAM (bid) for 1 wk, 60,84 and 100 per cent eradication was observed in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively53. Fifty patients in whom H. pylon was not eradicated were either normal homozygotes (92%) or heterozygotes (8%)53. In contrast to above observations, some studies demonstrated no association between CYP2C19 polymorphism and eradication of H. pylori. No correlation was observed between CYP2C19 genotypes and eradication of H. pylori after treatment with LPZ 30 mg (bid), AMC 1000 mg (bid) and CAM 400 mg (bid) for 7 days as 100, 96 and 100 per cent eradication was observed in Japanese normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively54. Similarly, after treatment with RPZ 10 mg (bid), AMC 1000 mg (bid) and CAM 400 mg (bid) for 7 days 100, 95 and 100 per cent eradication was observed in Japanese normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively indicating that CYP2C19 polymorphism did not influence H. pylori eradication54. Inaba et al55 treated H. pylori positive Japanese patients with OPZ 20 mg (bid), AMC 500 mg (tid) and CAM 200 mg (tid) for 7 days and demonstrated a statistically non significant difference in eradication i.e., 76.2, 88.9 and 90 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Similarly after treatment with LPZ 30 mg (bid), AMC 500 mg (tid) and CAM 200 mg (tid) for 7 days a statistically non significant difference in eradication i.e., 90, 89.7 and 88.9 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively was observed. Hokari et al56 categorized H. pylori positive Japanese patients according to drug prescription into 3 groups. Group 1 was prescribed 1 wk therapy consisting of RPZ 10 mg (qd), AMC 750 mg (bid) and CAM 200 mg (bid). Group 2 was prescribed 1 wk therapy consisting of RPZ 10 mg (bid), AMC 750 mg (bid) and CAM 200 mg (bid). Group 3 was prescribed 1 wk therapy consisting of RPZ 20 mg (bid), AMC 750 mg (bid) and CAM 200 mg (bid). Data from EMs and PMs were analyzed collectively from the 3 groups. EMs and PMs demonstrated a non significant difference (86 vs 77%) in eradication of H. pylori. Dojo et al57 divided H. pylori positive Japanese patients into 2 treatment groups randomly. Group 1 after treatment with 1 wk triple therapy consisting of OPZ 20 mg (bid), AMC 750 mg (bid) and CAM 400 mg (bid) demonstrated non significant eradication of 73.3, 86.1 and 85 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Group 2 after treatment with 1 wk triple therapy consisting of RPZ 20 mg (bid), AMC 750 mg (bid) and CAM 400 mg (bid) demonstrated non significant eradication of 81, 82.9 and 87.5 per cent in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively; thus demonstrating no association of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism with H. pylori eradication.

CYP2C19 genotypes in PPI based quadruple eradication therapy: Effect of CYP2C19 polymorphism was studied in German Caucasians using qudruple therapy for H. pylori eradication consisting of 30 mg LPZ (bid), 1000 mg AMC (bid), 250 mg CAM (bid) and 400 mg MNZ (bid) for 5 days. Heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes demonstrated significantly higher eradication (97.8%) compared with normal homozygotes (80.2%)58. LPZ serum trough steady state concentrations were also significantly different viz., 78.1, 135 and 766 ng/ml in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. Hence, they concluded that the eradication of H. pylori is dependent on CYP2C19 genotypes when standard doses of LPZ are used in Caucasians58. Results from these studies emphasize that EMs (normal homozygotes and heterozygotes) compared to PMs (mutant homozygotes) should be prescribed higher doses of PPIs in order to achieve optimal eradication of H. pylori. Higher eradication rates observed in PMs compared to EMs is due to the impaired metabolism of PPIs in PMs. This results in the exposure of proton pumps in parietal cells to higher concentration of PPIs and for longer duration in PMs (mutant homozygotes). This leads to higher intragastricpH at which the antibiotics are stable and thus increase the bioavailability of the antibiotics in PMs42. OPZ is known to increase the concentration of AMC in the gastric juice43, this effect will be pronounced in PMs. Since OPZ per se demonstrates anti H. pylori activity44, this action will also be more pronounced in PMs. Hence, if CYP2C19 genotypes are known prior to PPI based therapy, an optimal dose can be prescribed in order to achieve a better therapeutic outcome.

CYP2C19 and H. pylori eradication in north Indian patients: Since the frequency of CYP2C19 EMs is 88 per cent in north Indians59, approximately 880 million people in this country are expected to be CYP2C19 EMs, and they should be treated with increased doses of PPIs compared to PMs to achieve optimal recovery. However, correlation between CYP2C19 phenotypes, genotypes, eradication of H. pylori and chemotherapy of gastritis has not been studied in north Indians. Since this correlation is of utmost importance for patient care, a study on the role of CYP2C19 phenotypes and genotypes in the eradication of H. pylori and chemotherapy of gastritis in north Indians was initiated in our laboratory. Ninety one H. pylori positive north Indian patients were phenotyped and genotyped for CYP2C19 by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), respectively. Initial H. pylori eradication therapy consisted of 20 mg OPZ (bid), 750 mg AMC (bid) and 500 mg TNZ (bid) for 7 days. Noneradicated EMs were retreated with dual therapy consisting of 40 mg OPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) for 14 days whereas PMs were retreated with 20 mg OPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) for 14 days. After initial triple therapy EMs and PMs demonstrated 37 and 92 per cent eradication, respectively. Non eradicated EMs retreated with 40 mg OPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) dual therapy demonstrated 90 per cent eradication. Non eradicated PMs retreated with 20 mg OPZ (bid) and 500 mg AMC (qid) demonstrated 100 per cent eradication, thus demonstrating a direct correlation of CYP2C19 phenotypes and genotypes with eradication of H. pylori in north Indians59. The conflicting data in the literature about the role of pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 in the eradication of H. pylori may be due to a variety of other factors that determine drug responses in addition to the pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 viz., age, sex, nutritional status, liver and kidney function, concomitant diseases and medications, pharmacogenetics of CYP3A4 and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) genetic polymorphism. Sapone et al53 analyzed the combined effect of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 polymorphisms on eradication of H. pylori in Italian Caucasians using 20 mg OPZ (bid), 1000 mg AMC (bid) and 500 mg CAM (bid) for 7 days. The reason for this analysis was that PPIs are extensively metabolized by CYP2C19 but also metabolized by CYP3A4 to a lesser extent. CYP2C19 heterozygote patients who were also heterozygotes for CYP3A4*1B, CYP3A4*2 and CYP3A4*3 demonstrated 100 per cent eradication. Thus, there may be a possibility of existence of a positive synergism between the pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 in eradication of H. pylori. IL-1beta C-511Tgenetic polymorphism also influences the effect of CYP2C19 pharmacogenetics on the eradication of H. pylon. IL-1beta is a proinflammatory cytokine with multiple biological effects, including potent inhibition of gastric acid secretion. It is 100- fold more potent inhibitor of gastric acid secretion than PPIs and is highly expressed in the gastric mucosa of H. pylori infected patients. Since the antibiotics used for eradicating H. pylori are acid sensitive, IL-1beta genetic polymorphism can also affect the anti H. pylori therapy. After treatment of Japanese with 750 mg AMC (bid) and 200 mg CAM (bid) together with either 20 mg OPZ (bid), 30 mg LPZ (bid) or RPZ 10 mg (bid) 78, 78 and 90 per cent eradication was observed in CYP2C19 normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively. In IL-1beta -511 C/T or T/T genotype (low acid secretion) group, there was no statistically significant difference in eradication among three CYP2C19 genotypes. In contrast, in IL-1beta -511 C/C (normal acid secretion) group, the eradication rate among CYP2C19 mutant homozygotes (93.3%) was significantly higher than CYP2C19 normal homozygotes (60%) and heterozygotes (63.6%). Therefore, IL-1beta genetic polymorphism in conjunction with CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism could also affect the eradication rates of H. pylori*0. Studying the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C19, CYP3A4 and IL-1beta and also analysis of other confounding factors together in different populations may further enhance the understanding of the role of CYP2C19 polymorphism in the chemotherapy of H. pylori eradication.

CYP2C19 genotypes in treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Cure rates for GERD differ significantly in Japanese patients with different CYP2C19 genotypes. Cure rates in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes after 8 wk treatment with 30 mg LPZ (qd) were 46, 68 and 85 per cent, respectively. Lowest cure rate observed in normal homozygotes was attributed to low plasma LPZ concentrations (312,440 and 745 ng/ml in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively)61. Kawamura et al62 treated 88 Japanese patients suffering from erosive reflux oesophagitis with 30 mg LPZ (qd) for 8 wk and observed 77, 95 and 100 per cent cure rates in normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes, respectively, suggesting that CYP2C19 genotypes influence the therapeutic outcome.

CYP2C19 genotypes in treatment of duodenal ulcers: A Japanese heterozygote patient with recurrent ulcer responded to 60 mg LPZ/ day instead of 30 mg LPZ/ day63. After treatment with 60 mg LPZ/ day, pH of > 3 was maintained for 99.8 per cent time as against 88.3 per cent after treatment with 30 mg LPZ/day62. H. pylori associated refractory duodenal ulcer was cured with 40 mg OPZ (tid) and 750 mg AMC (tid) after failure to cure the ulcer with usual PPI based triple therapies in normal homozygote Japanese47. Results from these studies emphasize that EMs (normal homozygotes and heterozygotes) compared to PMs (mutant homozygotes) should be prescribed higher doses of PPIs in order to achieve optimal therapeutic outcome against GERD, reflux oesophagitis as well as duodenal ulcers.

Conclusion

Available data demonstrate that CYP2C19 pharmacogenetics influences the pharmacokinetics of PPIs. CYP2C19 mutant homozygotes demonstrate increased plasma concentration of PPIs and hence highest inhibition of proton pumps. CYP2C19 normal homozygotes, heterozygotes and mutant homozygotes demonstrated lowest, intermediate and highest H. pylori eradication, respectively using different therapies. Hence, CYP2C19 genotyping prior to treatment can help to optimize the PPI dose to achieve a better therapeutic outcome. This shall help in the better management of patients of GERD, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Acknowledgment

The first author (ASC) thanks Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi for the award of research fellowship and the last author (KKK) to Department of Biotechnology for funding the project.

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33. Adachi K, Katsube T, Kawamura A, Takashima T, Yuki M, Amano K, et al. CYP2C19 genotype status and intragastric pH during dosing with lansoprazole or rabeprazole. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2000; 14 : 1259-66.

34. Lin CJ, Yang JC, Uang YS, Chem HD, Wang TH. Time-dependent amplified pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic responses of rabeprazole in cytochrome P450 2C19 poor metabolizers. Pharmacotherapy 2003; 23 : 711-9.

35. Horai Y, Kimura M, Furuie H, Matsuguma K, Irie S, Koga Y, et al. Pharmacodynamic effects and kinetic disposition of rabeprazole in relation to CYP2C19 genotypes. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001; 75 : 793-803.

36. Sugimoto M, Furuta T, Shirai N, Nakamura A, Kajimura M, Hishida A, et al. Comparison of an increased dosage regimen of rabeprazole versus a concomitant dosage regimen of famotidine with rabeprazole for nocturnal gastric acid inhibition in relation to cytochrome P450 2C19 genotypes. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2005; 77 : 302- 11.

37. Marshall BJ, Warren JR. Unidentified curved bacilli in the stomach of patients with gastritis and peptic ulceration. Lancet 1984; 7 : 1311-5.

38. Bourke B, Sherman P, Drumm B. Peptic ulcer disease: what is the role for Helicobacter pylori? Semin Gastrointest Dis 1994; 5 : 24-31.

39. Sipponen P. Gastric cancer-a long-term consequence of Helicobacter pylori infection? Scand J Gastroenterol 1994; 207 (Suppl) : 24-7.

40. Sipponen P, Hyvarinen H. Role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Scand J Gastroenterol 1993; 796 (Suppl): 3-6.

41. Hofman JS. Pharmacological therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection. Semin Gastrointest Dis 1997; 8 : 156-63.

42 Grayson ML, Eliopoulos GM, Ferraro MJ, Moellering RC Jr. Effect of varying pH on the susceptibility of Campylobacter pylori to antimicrobial agents. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1989; 8 : 888-9.

43. Goddard AF, Jessa MJ, Barrett DA, Shaw PN, Idstrom JP, Cederberg C, et al. Effect of omeprazole on the distribution of metronidazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin in human gastric juice. Gastroenterology 1996; 111 : 358-67.

44. Midolo PD, Turnidge JD, Lambert JR, Bell JM. Oxygen concentration influences proton pump inhibitor activity against Helicobacter pylori in vitro. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1996; 40: 1531-3.

45. Furuta T, Ohashi K, Kamata T, Takashima M, Kosuge K, Kawasaki T, et al. Effect of genetic differences in omeprazole metabolism on cure rates for Helicobacter pylori infection and peptic ulcer. Ann Intern Med 1998; 729 : 1027-30.

46. Tanigawara Y, Aoyama N, Kita T, Shirakawa K, Komada F, Kasuga M, et al. CYP2C19 genotype-related efficacy of omeprazole for the treatment of infection caused by Helicobacter pylori. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1999; 66 : 528-34.

47. Furuta T, Shirai N, Takashima M, Xiao F, Hanai H, Nakagawa K, et al. Effects of genotypic differences in CYP2C19 status on cure rates for Helicobacter pylori infection by dual therapy with rabeprazole plus amoxicillin. Pharmacogenetics 2001; 11 : 341-8.

48. Furuta T, Takashima M, Shirai N, Xiao F, Hanai H, Ohashi K, et al. Cure of refractory duodenal ulcer and infection caused by Helicobacter pylori by high doses of omeprazole and amoxicillin in a homozygous C YP2C19 extensive metabolizer patient. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000; 67 : 684-9.

49 Furuta T, Ohashi K, Kobayashi K, Iida I, Yoshida H, Shirai N, et al. Effects of clarithromycin on the metabolism of omeprazole in relation to CYP2C19 genotype status in humans. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1999; 66 : 265-74.

50. Miyoshi M, Mizuno M, Ishiki K, Nagahara Y, Maga T, Torigoe T, et al. A randomized open trial for comparison of proton pump inhibitors, omeprazole versus rabeprazole, in dual therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in relation to CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2001; 16 : 723-8.

51. Furuta T, Shirai N, Takashima M, Xiao F, Hanai H, Sugimura H, et al. Effect of genotypic differences in CYP2C19 on cure rates for Helicobacter pylori infection by triple therapy with a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2001; 69 : 158-68.

52. Kawabata H, Habu Y, Tomioka H, Kutsumi H, Kobayashi M, Oyasu K, et al. Effect of different proton pump inhibitors, differences in CYP2C19 genotype and antibiotic resistance on the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori infection by a 1-week regimen of proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin and clarithromycin. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003; 17 : 259-64.

53. Sapone A, Vaira D, Trespidi S, Perna F, Gatta L, Tampieri A, et al. The clinical role of cytochrome P450 genotypes in Helicobacter pylori management. Am J Gastroenterol 2003; 98 : 1010- 5.

54. Miki I, Aoyama N, Sakai T, Shirasaka D, Wambura CM, Maekawa S, et al. Impact of clarithromycin resistance and CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism on treatment efficacy of Helicobacter pylori infection with lansoprazole- or rabeprazole-based triple therapy in Japan. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2003; 15 : 27-33.

55. Inaba T, Mizuno M, Kawai K, Yokota K, Oguma K, Miyoshi M, et al. Randomized open trial for comparison of proton pump inhibitors in triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in relation to CYP2C19 genotype. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2002; 17 : 748-53.

56. Hokari K, Sugiyama T, Kato M, Saito M, Miyagishima T, Kudo M, et al. Efficacy of triple therapy with rabeprazole for Helicobacter pylori infection and CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001; 15 : 1479-84.

57. Dojo M, Azuma T, Saito T, Ohtani M, Muramatsu A, Kuriyama M. Effects of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism on cure rates for Helicobacter pylori infection by triple therapy with proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole or rabeprazole), amoxycillin and clarithromycin in Japan. Digest Liver Dis 2001; 33 : 671-5.

58. Schwab M, Schaeffeler E, Klotz U, Treiber G. CYP2C19 polymorphism is a major predictor of treatment failure in white patients by use of lansoprazole-based quadruple therapy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2004; 76 : 201-9.

59. Singh A. Pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 in oesophagitis and gastritis patients, PhD thesis. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; 2006.

60. Take S, Mizuno M, Ishiki K, Nagahara Y, Yoshida T, Inaba T, et al. Interleukin-1beta genetic polymorphism influences the effect of cytochrome P 2C19 genotype on the cure rate of 1-week triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection. Am J Gastroenterol 2003; 98 : 2403-8.

61. Furuta T, Shirai N, Watanabe F, Honda S, Takeuchi K, Iida T, et al. Effect of cytochrome P4502C19 genotypic differences on cure rates for gastroesophageal reflux disease by lansoprazole. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2002; 72 : 453-60.

62. Kawamura M, Ohara S, Koike T, Iijima K, Suzuki J, Kayaba S, et al. The effects of lansoprazole on erosive reflux oesophagitis are influenced by CYP2C19 polymorphism. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003; 17 : 965-73.

63. Higuchi K, Tanabe S, Koizumi W, Nakayama N, Sasaki T, Nagaba S, et al. An extensive metabolizer with recurrent ulcer responding to high dose of lansoprazole. HepatoGastroenterol 2004; 57 : 774-6. A.S. Chaudhry, R. Kochhar* & K.K. Kohli

Departments of Biochemistry & *Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education &

Research, Chandigarh, India

Received January 15, 2007

Reprint requests: Dr K.K. Kohli, Department of Biochemistry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research

Chandigarh 160 012, India

e-mail: [email protected]

Copyright Indian Council of Medical Research Jun 2008

(c) 2008 Indian Journal of Medical Research. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Patient Released By IVF Doctor ‘Ended Up in Intensive Care’

By Jeremy Laurance

BRITAINS most successful IVF specialist discharged a woman patient from his clinic who complained of repeated vomiting, hours before she collapsed unconscious with a life-threatening condition, a disciplinary panel heard yesterday.

Mohammed Taranissi, the wealthy doctor and entrepreneur who runs two London fertility clinics and regularly tops the league table for the most live births, sent the patient home, after earlier telling her she was suffering from anxiety and that she had a mental block about her treatment, the panel of the General Medical Council heard.

He was accused of failing to provide basic medical care to the woman who was later admitted to intensive care.

She had been vomiting and had swollen wrists and was taken to hospital after suffering a seizure. There she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance.

Mr Taranissi, 53, is charged with serious professional misconduct over his failure to refer the woman for further investigation or advise her to see her GP on 11August, 2004.

The woman had called the clinic the previous day to say she had been vomiting and had been seen by Mr Taranissi.

At 2am that morning, her husband telephoned the doctor to say she was being repeatedly sick, when Mr Taranissi made his remark about her problems being psychological.

She attended his clinic, the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre (ARGC), near Harley Street, London, later that day and was crying and feeling unwell. She had a scan and was discharged. Later that evening, after collapsing, she was admitted to intensive care at Whittington Hospital, north London.

Joanna Glynn QC, for the GMC, told the disciplinary panel that Mr Taranissi would not have been expected to diagnose the womans exact condition.

The allegation focuses on the seriousness of letting a patient leave his clinic with no proper investigation or advice in circumstances that called out for it, she said.

Mr Taranissi is also accused of advising a second woman, aged 36, to have treatment with a controversial drug called Humira without telling her it was not licensed for infertility.

After she refused the drug, he is said to have become angry with her at a second meeting in June 2004 and of saying he would not be held responsible if she had another miscarriage.

She was told by one doctor at the ARGC that she needed immunological tests costing hundreds of pounds although she believed the tests were a waste of money. But she said she was very, very, very angry when she discovered they were unrecognised fertility tests. In cross-examination, Nicola Davies QC, representing Mr Taranissi, told the panel that the woman had written letters of complaint about the treatment she had received at three separate units: the ARGC, the Lister Hospital in London and St Georges in south London.

Ms Davies also referred to letters where the woman had referred to another doctor by name and said it was as clear as daylight that she had been talking about this other doctor applying pressure regarding immunological tests, and not Mr Taranissi.

Mr Taranissi denies the charges.

The hearing continues.

GMC disciplinary panel hears that fertility specialist sent vomiting woman home

Originally published by By Jeremy Laurance HEALTH EDITOR.

(c) 2008 Independent, The; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

UMW Members Are Not Fodder for Anyone

By CECIL E. ROBERTS

I read with interest the Daily Mail’s Sept. 25 editorial, “Is the union for miners or Obama?”

The Mail completely missed the point of our response to the incident that took place at Consol Energy’s Blacksville #2 mine, where a film crew from the National Rifle Association came on mine property in an attempt to interview UMWA members.

Our members’ reaction to this event has little to do with the NRA itself, or even its film crew. The NRA is free to say whatever it wants about any candidate for office, and has never shown a reluctance to do so, whether what it says about those candidates is true or not.

Likewise, our members are free to say whatever they want about any subject they want, and we have not and do not seek to limit their right to do that.

Anyone who has ever spent any time at a mine portal at shift change knows UMWA members – indeed, all coal miners – are not shy about speaking their minds.

Let me be clear: It was not the union leadership that called for a Memorial Day at the mine, it was the members who work at that mine who asked the leadership to call for it.

That’s how the process for Memorial Days works in the UMWA.

The UMWA members at Blacksville #2 took this action on their own initiative, not because of the NRA’s film crew but instead because someone in company management approved the use of company property for partisan political purposes.

I have no doubt that there are people who work at Blacksville #2 who do not support Barack Obama for president, just as I know that there are plenty who do support him. That is not the issue here.

Our members clearly did not want to be used as camera fodder for any political initiative their employer may support.

We have had conversations with Consol’s management since that time, and we appreciate the fact that the company has agreed with us that allowing the NRA crew on their property was a mistake. Consol has asked the NRA to not use any footage that was shot on their property in any ads the NRA produces.

You ask if the union is “for miners or Obama?” It is precisely because we are for miners that we are also for Barack Obama. Here’s why:

* We believe miners have a right to a safe and healthy job, where the government agencies that are supposed to be watchdogs for safety actually enforce the law instead of coddle the mine operators.

McCain has not said one word about the outrageous lack of enforcement of mine safety and health laws in the Bush administration, while Barack Obama has consistently promised to appoint someone to be in charge of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration who will put miners’ health and safety first.

* We believe miners and their families have a right to health care and retirement security. McCain’s proposals to tax health care benefits and privatize Social Security puts both of those rights at significant risk.

* We believe miners have a right to a job. McCain has, on more than one occasion, written legislation in Congress that would have meant drastic cuts in coal production in Appalachia and a corresponding elimination of thousands of coal miners’ jobs.

Obama has consistently said he supports developing the clean coal technology we need to use coal to generate power in America for decades to come.

There are dozens more reasons why the members of our union voted, through our nationwide internal political action process, to endorse Obama for president.

National polls indicate that more and more Americans, including our friends and neighbors in West Virginia, agree with us that at a time when millions of working families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and gas in their vehicles, our nation needs new leadership that will be a clean break from the failed policies of the Bush administration and its sidekick, John McCain.

Roberts is international president of the United Mine Workers of America.

(c) 2008 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Cancer Rates Still a Concern

By Nancy A. Fischer

Stephanie Smith was hoping for answers Monday night at the public meeting hosted by the state Department of Health to talk about higher-than-expected cancer rates in areas around the former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works.

Smith, of Youngstown, grew up and lived in Ransomville for 35 years, and is among those in the towns of Lewiston and Porter concerned about whether hazardous waste buried at the site might help explain why five out of nine members of her family — including herself — have cancer. Why she has seen neighbors all around her with cancer. Why she knows about a baby born without a liver.

Smith and some of the 75 others who came to the meeting were looking for something “more than statistics, much more direct, much more serious.”

Many went away disappointed.

The word they got from health officials is that while some cancer rates are higher than normal, those rates can be explained by any number of causes.

Cancer is so common that we all have pretty good odds of having some type of cancer, said Dr. Martin C. Mahoney of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Population Science at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

“Fifty percent of men and one in three women have a chance of getting some type of cancer,” Mahoney said.

“But the fact that [in this study] we don’t have a correlation and we can’t find a link is a good thing,” said Dr. Gregory Young, medical director for the Western Regional Health Department office.

Young told The Buffalo News outside the meeting that in 2002, when numbers showed a “blip” of higher-than-expected cancer rates, especially in children at the Lewiston-Porter school campus, the Health Department was asked to do a study by former U.S. Rep. John J. LaFalce and then-Lew-Port School Superintendent Walter Polka.

Young said he would “feel safe” sending a child to Lewiston- Porter schools.

During the meeting, Aura Weinstein, director of the Health Department’s Cancer Surveillance Program, said health workers studied three areas near the former ordnance works, where radioactive waste is stored from the Manhattan Project, and the Chemical Waste Management landfill.

Weinstein said they found a higher incidence of prostate cancer in men, but further study found that medical factors such as early screening and men living longer may have contributed to the numbers.

“We cannot prove cause and effect,” she said. “Even one type of cancer can have many different causes. We really don’t know if any people have been exposed to a substance.”

A few people said they could have just read the statistics on the Internet, and wanted more from the presentation.

“I didn’t get too much from this meeting,” said Jean Leckband, of Dutton Drive in Lewiston. “I have a 12-year-old at Lewiston-Porter and I worry about these things. I want you to get to the root of the problem and you are just talking about the leaves of the tree.”

There has been concern for years in the two towns about the effect radiation and chemicals from weapons development during World War II might have on incidents of cancer among the local population.

The Health Department said the study evaluated cancer incidents among people of all ages in each study area who were diagnosed with cancer from 1991-2000 to see if the number of cases arising were higher than should be expected.

Summarizing the findings, state officials said researchers found no unusual cancer patterns in the area of study. The only exception was a high number of prostate cancers in the LOOW area and the area near the Lewiston-Porter campus.

The study found statistically high numbers of several other cancers in the Lewiston-Porter campus area. That facet of the study was done because of concerns over children attending schools at Lew- Port. But those results also appeared to be inconclusive.

The study states, “The greater-than-expected number of women with breast and bladder cancer [there] are not likely to be due to exposures received while the women were attending schools on campus because most of the cases were found in older women who went to school before the campus was built.”

The report said there also was an excess in cancers in children ages 10-14 living in this area.

“These children could have attended schools on the Lewiston- Porter campus, although interviews showed that not all of them had,” state health officials said.

The study also found unusual numbers of testicular cancers in young men, and gonadal and germ cell tumors in children. However, health officials said, “Conclusions cannot be drawn about these high numbers and a relationship to exposures to any contaminants from the site because there is insufficient information about where these individuals went to school, or other possible risk factors they may have had.”

In a question-and-answer session, Weinstein admitted that this was a self-contained study and told the audience, “No one study can be the final answer.”

She said the Health Department has no plans for any follow-up studies.

e-mail: [email protected]

Originally published by NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU.

(c) 2008 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Kindred Healthcare Announces 51 of Its Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers Are Recipients of The AHCA Quality Award

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE:KND) today announced that 51 of its nursing and rehabilitation centers have been named recipients of the 2008 American Health Care Association (“AHCA”) Quality Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to quality improvement.

The AHCA Quality Award is a “step-based” program modeled after criteria from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The awards in 2008 consist of an entry level, Step I Award, a more rigorous Step II Award, and a final Step III Award that mirrors the Baldrige National Quality Award criteria. There are approximately 15,800 nursing centers in the United States.

One of the Company’s nursing centers is a recipient of the Step II Award: Chestnut Terrace Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (formerly Kindred Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center) located in East Providence, Rhode Island. Chestnut Terrace received a Step I Award in 2006. The Company’s previous Step II Award winners were Kindred Healthcare Center of Orange in Orange, California; Mountain Valley Care and Rehabilitation Center in Kellogg, Idaho; Clark House Nursing Center at Fox Hill Village in Westwood, Massachusetts; and Newton and Wellesley Alzheimer Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

In addition, 50 of the Company’s nursing centers are recipients of the Step I Award this year. They are:

Valley Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Tucson, Arizona,

Alta Vista Healthcare in Riverside, California,

Medical Hill Rehabilitation Center in Oakland, California,

Pacific Coast Care Center in Salinas, California,

Siena Care Center in Auburn, California,

The Tunnell Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in San Francisco, California,

Valley Gardens Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Stockton, California,

Village Square Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in San Marcos, California,

Parkway Pavilion Healthcare in Enfield, Connecticut,

The Crossings – West Campus in New London, Connecticut,

Windsor Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Windsor, Connecticut,

Savannah Specialty Care Center in Savannah, Georgia,

Boise Health and Rehabilitation Center in Boise, Idaho,

Caldwell Care Center in Caldwell, Idaho,

Nampa Care Center in Nampa, Idaho,

Eagle Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center in Indianapolis, Indiana,

Regency Place of Dyer in Dyer, Indiana,

Regency Place of Greenfield in Greenfield, Indiana,

Southwood Health and Rehabilitation Center in Terre Haute, Indiana,

Valley View Health Care Center in Elkhart, Indiana,

Bashford East Health Care in Louisville, Kentucky,

Eastside Rehabilitation and Living Center in Bangor, Maine,

Norway Rehabilitation and Living Center in Norway, Maine,

Avery Manor in Needham, Massachusetts,

Braintree Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Braintree, Massachusetts,

Brigham Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Newburyport, Massachusetts,

Country Gardens Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Swansea, Massachusetts,

Crawford Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Fall River, Massachusetts,

Forestview Nursing Home of Wareham in Wareham, Massachusetts,

Franklin Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Franklin, Massachusetts,

Hammersmith House Nursing Care Center in Saugus, Massachusetts,

Harborlights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in South Boston, Massachusetts,

Highgate Manor Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Dedham, Massachusetts,

Hillcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Fitchburg, Massachusetts,

Oakwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Webster, Massachusetts,

Presentation Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Brighton, Massachusetts,

River Terrace Healthcare in Lancaster, Massachusetts,

Westborough Health Care Center in Westborough, Massachusetts,

Dover Rehabilitation and Living Center in Dover, New Hampshire,

Guardian Care of Ahoskie in Ahoskie, North Carolina,

Kinston Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Kinston, North Carolina,

Pettigrew Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Durham, North Carolina,

Rehabilitation and Nursing Center of Monroe in Monroe, North Carolina,

Cambridge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Cambridge, Ohio,

The Greens Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lyndhurst, Ohio,

Fairpark Healthcare Center in Maryville, Tennessee,

Madison Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Madison, Tennessee,

Starr Farm Nursing Center in Burlington, Vermont,

Nansemond Pointe Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Suffolk, Virginia, and

Northwest Continuum Care Center in Longview, Washington.

“To date, 147 of our nursing centers have received the Step I Award,” said Paul J. Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “That’s 64% of our portfolio and more than any other long-term care company in the country. These awards are a reflection of our commitment to performance improvement and our Quality First Pledge and our goal of having each facility provide consistent results that meet or exceed the expectations of our constituents.”

“I am pleased these centers are being recognized for their efforts on behalf of our patients and residents,” said Lane M. Bowen, Executive Vice President and President of the Company’s Health Services Division. “Throughout our nursing centers, we have a dedication to continuous quality improvement.”

About Kindred Healthcare

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. is a healthcare services company, based in Louisville, Kentucky, with annual revenues of over $4 billion and approximately 54,000 employees in 40 states. At June 30, 2008, Kindred through its subsidiaries provided healthcare services in 656 locations, including 83 long-term acute care hospitals, 228 skilled nursing centers and a contract rehabilitation services business, Peoplefirst rehabilitation services, which served 345 non-affiliated facilities. Kindred’s mission is to promote healing, provide hope, preserve dignity and produce value for each patient, resident, family member, customer, employee and shareholder we serve. For more information, go to www.kindredhealthcare.com.

SurModics Acquires CodeLink(TM) Activated Slide Business

SurModics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRDX), a leading provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry, announced today the acquisition of the CodeLink(TM) Activated Slide microarray business from GE Healthcare. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Our acquisition of the CodeLink Activated slide business further demonstrates our commitment to building an even stronger In Vitro Technologies business by leveraging SurModics’ core competencies,” said Bruce Barclay, president and CEO of SurModics. “Selling these products directly will allow us to get closer to our customers and offer a broader range of products, which is consistent with our strategic growth initiative of diversification. On the heels of our successful acquisition of BioFX Laboratories in August 2007, we continue to enhance the breadth of our In Vitro Technologies product portfolio.”

CodeLink Activated Slides use SurModics’ PhotoLink(R) technology to create a three-dimensional matrix that allows the attachment of biomolecules (including DNA, RNA and proteins) to form microarrays. SurModics is a pioneer in providing superior surface chemistry to the microarray field, introducing its first genomics product to the market in 1999. SurModics continues to manufacture the products, which since 2000 have been marketed by Motorola, then Amersham, and most recently by GE Healthcare under the CodeLink brand.

About SurModics, Inc.

SurModics, Inc. is a leading provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry. SurModics partners with the world’s foremost medical device, pharmaceutical and life science companies to develop and commercialize innovative products that result in improved patient outcomes. Core offerings include: drug delivery technologies (coatings, microparticles, and implants); surface modification coating technologies that impart lubricity, prohealing, and biocompatibility capabilities; and components for in vitro diagnostic test kits and specialized surfaces for cell culture and microarrays. Current efforts include a sustained drug delivery system in human trials for treatment of retinal disease and the drug delivery polymer matrix on the first-to-market drug-eluting coronary stent. SurModics is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and its Brookwood Pharmaceuticals subsidiary is located in Birmingham, Alabama. For more information about the company, visit www.surmodics.com. The content of SurModics’ website is not part of this release or part of any filings the company makes with the SEC.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the following: (1) our reliance on third parties (including our customers and licensees) and their failure to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, market and sell products incorporating our technologies may adversely affect our business operations, our ability to realize the full potential of our pipeline, and the company’s ability to achieve our fiscal 2008 corporate goals; (2) costs or difficulties relating to the integration of the businesses of Brookwood Pharmaceuticals and BioFX Laboratories with SurModics’ business may be greater than expected and may adversely affect the company’s results of operations and financial condition; (3) developments in the regulatory environment, as well as market and economic conditions, may adversely affect our business operations and profitability; and (4) other factors identified under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, and updated in our subsequent reports filed with the SEC. These reports are available in the Investors section of our website at www.surmodics.com and at the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

Superhero Campaign Enlists 250 Students ; NHS Recruits Organ Donors

By LIZA WILLIAMS

HUNDREDS of Liverpool students have signed up to become organ donors after the launch of an NHS campaign in the city.

A roadshow aimed at new students visited John Moores University earlier this month, and more than 250 people signed up to the Organ Donor Register (ODR).

The Superhero campaign is continuing online to encourage more students to register.

Ph.D student Philip Widdowson, 23, knows first hand the importance of donors.

The Liverpudlian who is studying structural biology/biochemistry at the University of Liverpool, suffered from keratoconus, an eye disease which causes the cornea to stretch, resulting in short- sight and irregular vision.

In September, 2003, Mr Widdowson underwent a cornea transplant at Liverpool’s St Paul’s Eye Hospital.

He said: “Before the operation my vision was awful. I had had the condition since I was about 13, and had to go through most of my secondary education with difficulties in seeing.

“Sitting GCSE and A-levels is daunting enough without the additional worry of whether my poor sight would cost me the grades I needed.

“Since the transplant I have graduated from university with a first in biochemistry and am now studying for a Ph.D.

“I don’t think all of this would have been possible without the transplant.

“My everyday life has improved.

Simple things like seeing the ball during a football match, being able to see friends in a pub without squinting, or seeing my violin music from more than a few inches away.

“The transplant has given me a much better general quality of life as well as the opportunity to have a successful education. I can’t stress how grateful I am to my donor and their family.”

Those logging onto the website can use a web-based application called Superhero-me to turn themselves into superheroes, join the ODR, and spread the message.

NHS Blood and Transplant Organ Donation marketing and campaigns manager, Angie Burton, said: “Students don’t have to be able to run faster than a speeding bullet, have X-ray vision or climb buildings to become a superhero and help save lives.

“Instead, it takes another kind of superpower – to use our generosity of spirit and give the ‘gift of life’, to help others to live on after our deaths.

“It doesn’t take much to demonstrate this power; all we’re asking is for students to join the 15.6m other superheroes who have already joined the ODR and to discuss their wishes with their families.”

LOG on to www.superherome.co.uk for information.

(c) 2008 Daily Post; Liverpool. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Swedish Neuroscience Institute and Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle Form Alliance to Learn More About Brain Diseases

SEATTLE, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Swedish Neuroscience Institute (SNI) has joined forces with the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) to fundraise for and collaborate on research they hope will lead to cures for diseases of the brain and nervous system. The new partnership brings together physicians, researchers and fundraisers from two of the most respected organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

Greg Foltz. M.D., SNI neurosurgeon and head of the recently opened Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at Swedish’s Cherry Hill Campus, is jointly leading the project with Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., ISB co-founder and president.

“This is the first time that such a large group of established researchers have been brought together from the fields of neurosurgery, neuropathology, systems biology, genomics and biostatistical analysis to address serious diseases affecting the brain, such as malignant brain tumors,” said Dr. Foltz. “Also of significance is the fact that the SNI and ISB researchers are focused solely on developing early diagnostic tools and treatment solutions for human disease rather than theoretical pursuits.”

The collaboration also brings to bear some of the most advanced research technologies that exist today.

“The SNI and ISB collaboration represents a powerful strategic partnership that joins the clinical expertise of Swedish with the systems biology, technology and computational expertise of ISB,” said Dr. Hood. “This study will integrate many different types of biological information from these patients which may in time lead to a deep understanding of the kinds of brain tumors today that are inevitably fatal.”

ISB has been a global leader in the development of systems biology and the effort to identify organ-specific molecular ‘fingerprints’ in the blood that could lead to the pre-symptomatic diagnosis of disease. Diseases such as Glioblastoma (the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor) are so deadly because by the time symptoms present in a patient, the disease has usually progressed to the point where a cure is not possible. In addition, researchers hope that understanding how biological networks of genes and proteins interact in brain cancer will reveal new and better targets for drug development and treatment of the disease.

One of the partnership’s first research collaborations has been the creation of a brain tumor tissue bank and associated genomic database derived from samples removed during surgery. Dr. Foltz believes the tumor bank and database provide researchers in Seattle and beyond the critical resources they need to further their research into slowing or stopping the growth of malignant brain tumors. “One thing that’s made learning about these tumors difficult is that there are few patients at any one center and the tumors progress so rapidly without treatment. With the tissue bank and associated genomic database, we are establishing the foundation for one of the largest brain tumor research projects in the country,” said Dr. Foltz. “It’s a project with a mission to help not only patients in the future, but also those currently affected and whose tumors are now being so carefully studied.”

The Institute for Systems Biology, founded in 2000, integrates such sciences as biology, chemistry, physics, computation, mathematics and medicine. “Systems biology is the science of discovering, modeling, understanding and ultimately engineering at the molecular level the dynamic relationships between the biological molecules that define living organisms,” said Dr. Hood. “System-based approaches to diseases such as Glioblastoma afford powerful new opportunities for bringing this disease under control.”

“This new partnership between the SNI and ISB represents the future of medicine,” says Dr. Foltz. “As a physician whose primary concern is my patients, it’s inspiring to see scientists working so hard to find a way to help them. Especially encouraging is the fact that this collaboration will bring together researchers from different backgrounds who will be working in concert to attack the most difficult problems in disorders of the brain.”

“We had a very strong program before this collaboration,” Dr. Foltz added. “But, ISB’s inclusion in this effort puts some of the best scientific minds in the world to work on behalf of our patients.”

For his part, Dr. Foltz has recently developed a way to analyze brain tumor patients’ blood and look for certain ‘markers’ that can help determine the best course of chemotherapy for their particular type of tumor. While there is still a long way to go, the early results look promising not only for brain tumors, but for other types of diseases as well. Additionally, the knowledge gained from the brain tissue bank may shed light on the causes and possible cures for other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and strokes now affecting aging baby boomers in ever greater numbers.

The partnership’s joint fund-raising efforts will be spearheaded by Randy Mann, senior director of Campaign for the Swedish Foundation, and Laurence Herron, vice president of development for ISB.

About Swedish Medical Center

Swedish Medical Center is the largest, most comprehensive, nonprofit health-care provider in the Greater Seattle area. It is comprised of three hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard), a freestanding emergency room and specialty center in Issaquah, Swedish Home Care Services and Swedish Physicians – a network of 12 primary-care clinics. In addition to general medical and surgical care, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as neurological care, cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatrics, organ transplantation and clinical research. For more information, visit http://www.swedish.org/

About the Swedish Neuroscience Institute

In 2004, Swedish Medical Center expanded its neuroscience services by establishing the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. The team of leading neurosurgeons and other specialists are building a world-class institute dedicated solely to the treatment and advancement of neurological disorders for patients in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. The Swedish/Cherry Hill Campus is the hub for the Institute and has been upgraded with four state-of-the-art operating rooms with intra-operative MRI and CT scanning, neuro-interventional radiology capabilities, a renovated neuro intensive-care unit, and a CyberKnife(R) facility for radiosurgical treatment of tumors throughout the body. SNI specializes in the research for and treatment of stroke; cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations; movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and tremors; brain tumors (including both malignant tumors and benign tumors such as meningiomas); neuro-endocrine disorders including pituitary tumors; epilepsy; child neurological disorders; neuro-ophthalmology; headaches; multiple sclerosis and many other neurological conditions and diseases. In each category, physicians from different specialties are brought together to provide a multi-disciplinary approach centered on providing top-notch patient care.

About the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment

Founded in 2008, the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment gives brain-tumor patients and their families access to:

   --  A multi-disciplinary team of skilled neurosurgeons, oncologists,       radiologists and a specialized nursing staff to deliver coordinated       care and innovative treatments.   --  An integrated care coordinator who serves as a patient advocate and       liaison   --  Access to clinical trials that offer patients early and timely access       to investigational drugs and treatments   --  Promising new therapies that use gene-sequencing technologies to       identify customized treatment options   --  A comprehensive brain tumor research laboratory that provides rapid       genetic analysis of brain tumors   

Funding for the Center has been lead by a recent $2 million donation by the David and Sandra Sabey family, which was announced May 31, 2008 at Swedish’s annual auction, Celebrate Swedish. A total of $3.3 million was then raised in support of the Center during the auction’s ‘Fund-A-Need’ program. Earlier this summer, the Center then hosted a first-year event – the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk (http://www.braincancerwalk.org/) – to increase awareness about the cause and raise money for the Center and its related work.

About the Institute for Systems Biology

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is an internationally renowned, non-profit research institute headquartered in Seattle and dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. Founded by Leroy Hood, Alan Aderem and Ruedi Aebersold, ISB seeks to unravel the mysteries of human biology and identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and AIDS. ISB’s systems approach integrates biology, computation and technological development, enabling scientists to analyze all elements in a biological system rather than one gene or protein at a time. Founded in 2000, the Institute has grown to 14 faculty and more than 230 staff members, an annual budget of more than $30 million, and an extensive network of academic and industrial partners. For more information about ISB, visit http://www.systemsbiology.org/

Swedish Neuroscience Institute

CONTACT: Ed Boyle of Swedish, +1-206-386-2748; or Todd Langton ofInstitute for Systems Biology, +1-206-732-1333

Web Site: http://www.swedish.org/http://www.systemsbiology.org/

BBC Director-General Visits Kenyan Public Broadcaster

Excerpt from report by state-owned KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) Radio on 30 September

[Presenter] The broadcasting organization, BBC, has been listed among the best international broadcasting stations, for now it has no match after spreading network to most developed countries. Kenya’s broadcasting organization, KBC, today hosted the director- general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, who spoke about how BBC has succeeded in attracting fans all over the world.

[Reporter] The name BBC is known in every house in this country and all over the world for the quality of its programmes and news. The organization is proud for being a good example in the broadcasting sector all over the world while its fans across Africa enjoy the quality of its programmes. However, the success achieved by the organizations can be reached. The director-general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, has said what is needed is a spirit of sacrifice and resources to reach the horizon.

[Thompson in English] The way people use media is changing. Once the BBC could reach millions of Kenyans just with short-wave radio. Both the KBC and BBC face the challenge of reaching out to new audiences and also using new technologies to get our content to audiences.

[Reporter] He said one of the biggest challenges to public broadcasters all over the world is how to sustain the independent opinions of editors and those of governments in power, a situation that makes it difficult to deny that the broadcasters are controlled by the government.

[Thompson] If you’ve got an emerging strong democracy with power- sharing and people from different perspectives having to work together, a strong, free media can play a very important part in strengthening democracy.

[Reporter] The managing director of KBC, David Waweru, stressed that all that depends on public opinion.

[Waweru in English] We are here to give objective reporting, public programming that is good for public consumption, family consumption. Yes, you might expect that there may be some pressure from here and there, but it is not pressure that would not come from the owners of a private radio station. [Passage omitted]

Originally published by KBC Radio, Nairobi, in Swahili 1600 30 Sep 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

As Women Age, Do They Become Invisible? It Appears So

By VIRGINIA ROHAN

During a trip to Manhattan, my friend Julia Keller — cultural critic at the Chicago Tribune — stopped at a coffee shop and was shocked by how she was treated. Or rather, she says, not treated.

The barista, completely ignoring this distinguished woman in her early 50s, took orders from customers behind and all around her — while seemingly looking right through Keller.

“It wasn’t anything mean or hostile or rude. I was just completely invisible to this person,” recalls Keller, who struggled to get the server’s attention. “It was a young woman, which made it all the worse. I was like, ‘Hello? Hello?’ “

Ah, the Invisible Woman Syndrome — I’m betting that many boomers out there can relate.

We’re not talking about no longer getting catcalls when you walk past a construction site. Many women are probably more relieved than regretful about that age-related loss. Whether real or perceived, this is about feeling that others — from servers to salespeople to job interviewers — don’t really see you anymore.

IWS is an epidemic in Hollywood, where the only Invisible Woman who commands attention is the Marvel Comics superheroine, who can render herself unseen when necessary, but is otherwise a knockout (played by Jessica Alba in the “Fantastic Four” movies).

Several years ago, two underemployed actresses, funded by a grant from the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, made a short documentary called “Invisible Women” that SAG uses as a consciousness-raising tool. According to the film’s Web site, invisiblewomen.com, the film explores “the fading image of mature women in the media” and offers “a dynamic and thought-provoking view of ageism and its effect on the baby boomer generation.”

“As men become older, they become more valuable in our culture, and women become less valuable,” Keller said, pointing out the discrepancies in this summer’s media descriptions of 47-year-old Barack Obama as “a young man on the rise,” but same-aged Hillary Clinton supporters as “white older women.”

Now, I’m sure there are middle-aged men who feel invisible, devalued or disregarded, though none has yet shared that with me. But I often hear this complaint from women.

So does Lesley Jane Seymour, editor in chief of More, the leading lifestyle magazine for women over 40 that will hold its second annual Reinvention Convention in Manhattan on Monday.

“Getting to the root of invisibility … if you really dig into it with women they will tell you that the world has stopped recognizing them after 40,” 51-year-old Seymour says. “The moviemakers have stopped courting them. … If you’ve gained some weight in your middle age, then the designers drop you after size 12. The marketers have dropped you. And that’s what makes you invisible.”

By contrast, she says, when women are in their “baby-making” years, “everybody’s at your doorstep. They want you to buy cribs and car seats and china and redo your house, and then suddenly, you cross over into 40 in America, and you may as well be dead.”

North Jersey psychologist Carol Dorfman, a boomer herself, says the best antidote is for boomer women to focus on who we are, not just how we look.

“Cultural messages today emphasize youth, beauty and sex appeal as never before,” says Dorfman, who has offices in Englewood and Livingston. “And while there’s nothing wrong with looking good, it’s only one part of a woman’s personal image.

“The more we define ourselves by what others think, by comparing ourselves to celebrity icons or by trying to meet cultural expectations of perfection, the more likely we are to feel invalidated or invisible when others don’t notice us. The more we define ourselves in terms of our own strengths and competencies, and value ourselves in ways other than physical appearance, the less likely we are to feel invisible.”

Personal perception

If a patient came in with a story about being ignored in a store or coffee shop, Dorfman says, she would suggest that person consider other possible reasons for the poor service. “If we interpret the barista’s lack of attention to mean that we are unimportant or unworthy, possibly because we are not young or beautiful enough, then we will likely feel bad,” she says. “If, however, we attribute her lack of attention to a belief that we were already being helped at the counter, then we would be less likely to feel invisible.”

More’s daylong Reinvention Convention next week addresses the whole package — work, finances and health, as well as beauty and age-appropriate fashion.

“You’ll see women, if they feel a little bit invisible, trying a little too hard to look too young,” says Seymour. “They don’t want to be mumsy, but then, they accidentally go a little too young. … If you’re over 40, Britney Spears shock and awe is not good.”

Noting that her readers’ average household income is $96,000, Seymour says that she tells advertisers that “While you’re courting that 30-year-old, somebody has to keep you in business. And guess what? My readers can keep paying your bills. … I have the highest household income of any women’s magazine out there, bar none.”

There are signs that things are improving.

As I recently reported, network executives and TV advertisers are generally wising up to the buying power of boomers, and hit shows fronted by mature women are multiplying, especially on cable. As “Damages” star Glenn Close said, in accepting the best actress in a drama Emmy earlier this month, “We’re proving that complicated, powerful, mature women are sexy and are high entertainment and can carry a show …”

As the ratings of these shows prove, these mature actresses are not invisible to viewers.

***

As you get older, aim for an elegant appearance

Lesley Jane Seymour More magazine editor in chief and host of Mondays Reinvention Convention at Pier 60 in Manhattan offers some tips and honest talk about over-40 beauty and fashion.

How much leg should you show? “Some women should never wear shorts. Some women have fabulous legs. I would never go more than an inch or two above the knee. If you have a fabulous body, then show it off in other ways.”

How bare do you dare? “I dont want to see a 50-year-old belly button out on the street during the day. You have to know where to stop. You have to say to yourself, Youre trying too hard. With women over 40, theres a certain elegance that should come from elegant dressing. French women, as they age, just look handsome. I think you can kind of aim for that.”

Cosmetic coverage: “You want to see more of the real face. Less is more as you get older.”

Change with the times: “I discovered that the way I was covering up my under eye was no longer working. Last time I learned how to do it I was 30. I didnt have a bag under my eye then. Now I have a three dimensional thing I have to deal with.”

Ditch the denial: “You have to be honest with yourself. You really have to look in that mirror. The outfit may have been great four years ago, but your body really does change quickly. Make sure that it hasnt gotten a little too short, a little too tight.”

Bring along a shopping buddy: “If you have a teenage daughter, you dont want to look like her, but you want her to go shopping with you. I dont think husbands are very good, because theyre not truthful. They know better than to tell you that your butts too big. But your daughter will tell you.” An added bonus: Shell “get you to try things youd never try,” says Seymour, mother of a 13-year-old daughter.

*

The daylong Reinvention Convention will feature presentations and discussions led by More editors and guest speakers. (Isaac Mizrahi, Vanessa Williams, Cybill Shepherd, Jean Chatzky and Nancy Snyderman are among the participants.) Information/ registration: more.com/ reinvention

***

E-mail: [email protected]

***

(c) 2008 Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Care Pack to Help Diabetics Avoid Foot Amputations

AN innovative foot care pack has been developed to help diebetics spot problems and, it is hoped, reduce the number of amputations.

Podiatry manager Audrey Murdoch, who works for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, got the idea for the pack after completing a travel scholarship at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

She said: “Patients with diabetes can lose sensation in their feet, so if they do not feel pain, they can be unaware if they have caused damage when they stub their toe, or have a blister.

“If they don’t check their feet regularly, this can lead to serious infection and, in some cases, to amputation.

“The podiatrists in Australia had included a mirror in the pack to help patients see the soles of their feet. Our pack also includes a mirror, but we have improved it to include a footfi le, emergency dressings that patients can use should they develop a sore, and information on looking after their feet.”

According to the charity Diabetes UK, 100 people a week in the UK have a lower limb amputation due to diabetes. Of these, 75-per cent die within fi ve years of having an amputation.

Audrey, who is based at Townhead Clinic in Kirkintilloch, added: “We hope the packs will educate patients so they check their feet daily and look after them.”

Packs will be distributed to all podiatry staff and diabetic nurses within East Dunbartonshire.

f successful, the scheme could be extended across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board’s area.

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

(c) 2008 Evening Times; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Leading Fertility Specialist Introduces the Inland Empire’s Least Expensive In-Vitro Fertilization Treatment Plan

Dr. Paul Magarelli from the Corona Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Fertility (CIRMF), the Inland Empire’s full-service and personalized reproductive center, will offer the Celebration IVF Plan, a complete round of in-vitro fertilization for just $6,000 – less than half the typical cost of the reproductive treatment. The affordable fertility plan will be offered during the months of October, November and December as a thank you to the Inland Empire community for its support. Couples will receive their coupons at the “In Search of the Stork” seminars.

“For many couples dealing with the life crisis of infertility, IVF is a viable option that can help them start a family,” explained Dr. Magarelli. “This treatment, however, can be cost-prohibitive. At CIRMF, we don’t think the cost of IVF treatment should keep couples from starting a family. That’s why we’re offering a plan that gives the Inland Empire hi-tech treatment at an affordable rate.”

Patients will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and will be required to attend the complimentary seminar, “In Search of the Stork – A New Patient Orientation.” The free fertility seminar will allow would-be parents a face-to-face introduction to Dr. Paul C. Magarelli, and will also address commonly asked questions and treatment options, including basic to high-tech fertility treatments, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), assisted hatching, acupuncture, egg freezing, embryo donation, and sex selection for family balancing. Discussion of the integration of Eastern and Western medicine in the treatment of infertility will also be highlighted.

“If a couple has been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for six months to a year, and the cost of IVF has kept them from getting treatment, I encourage them to take advantage of the Celebration IVF Plan – the lowest cost IVF program in the Inland Empire,” said Dr. Magarelli.

The “In Search of the Stork” seminar will take place in October in the following cities from 7 to 9 p.m.:

— Fullerton – Hilton Suites – Oct. 6

— Temecula – Embassy Suites Temecula Valley Wine Country – Oct. 7

— Corona – Corona regional Medical Center Conference Room – Oct. 8

— Upland – Marriott Ontario Airport – Oct. 9

For location information and to reserve a seat, call 951-738-BABY (2229) or inquire via e-mail at [email protected].

ABOUT DR. PAUL C. MAGARELLI & CIRMF

Dr. Paul Magarelli, MD., Ph.D., F.A.C.O.G. is the medical director for CIRMF, the Inland Empire’s full-service and personalized reproductive center, conveniently located off the 91 and 15 freeways at 1810 Fullerton in Corona, Calif. He is known for his instrumental work in creating new pricing structures to provide cost-effective, competent IVF care for the average wage earner, but he is best known to his patients for applying high-tech procedures with a personal touch. CIRMF features a state-of-the-art onsite laboratory and offers general fertility diagnosis and treatments such as artificial insemination, surrogacy and donor eggs, as well as advanced assisted reproductive treatments such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and embryo and egg freezing for individuals wishing to preserve their fertility due to disease or delayed parenthood. For more information, please visit www.CoronaFertility.com.

Studer Group Offers Specific Tips and Tactics to Ensure That Never Events Never Happen

In light of The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) quickly approaching October 1 deadline to no longer pay for hospital-acquired conditions (or Never Events), Studer Group, a preeminent outcomes firm assisting healthcare organizations to attain and sustain high performance results, is offering specific tips and tactics to healthcare organizations to eliminate the identified 11 medical errors. These Never Events, such as patient falls, bed sores and infections, are defined by CMS as preventable and are no longer reimbursable. The cost savings to CMS will be in the tens of millions of dollars, but this same financial reduction will dramatically impact the already thin finances of US hospitals.

In a continual effort to create a culture of always, where individuals do the right thing for the patient every time, Studer Group has created four short videos on Never Events. All four are free to the public and accessible on the Studer Group Web site. The first video provides an overview of Never Events and specific tactics that should be implemented to prevent them. The other three videos are focused on how to prevent the most prevalent and costly of these conditions: falls, pressure ulcers and infections. The videos are designed to transform the culture of a healthcare organization into an efficient, cost-effective, and high performing work place, successful in providing improved patient care.

“Studer Group is extremely committed to eliminating these medical errors and helping healthcare organizations become progressive by tightening up assessments, documentation, and coding, and effectively communicating and managing tactics that will assist in eliminating Never Events,” said Quint Studer, founder and CEO of Studer Group. “Because of the size of Studer Group’s national lab, we have ideas, tactics and the passion to help bring the numbers down to zero in an aggressive mobilization to share these with the healthcare industry.”

CMS views the change in reimbursement as a major step forward in their shift toward value-based purchasing, a philosophy of paying hospitals based on their performance on certain measures rather than the amount of service provided. According to CMS, each year more than 650,000 patients experience one of these preventable errors, leading to needless pain, injury and even death. Some of these events, such as an infection after having a coronary artery bypass graft, can cost as much as $300,000 to treat. That’s the same amount hospitals will no longer receive if the event occurs during a patient’s stay.

Many healthcare organizations are already working with Studer Group to prevent Never Events and have been utilizing one of Studer Group’s tactics, hourly rounding. The tactics taught in hourly rounding have resulted in extremely positive outcomes and been proven to dramatically improve patients’ experiences in the hospital. In fact, hourly rounding is proven to impact two of the 11 Never Events, cutting patient falls by 50 percent and reducing pressure ulcers by 14 percent.

Studer Group’s hourly rounding and Never Event videos are just two examples of tactics that align with Studer Group’s mission to make healthcare a better place for employees to work, physicians to practice medicine, and patients to receive care. The Never Event videos are the newest addition to Studer Group’s arsenal of healthcare resources. Studer Group also offers coaching for Never Events (including specialty coaches on site at healthcare organizations), national speakers on how to prevent Never Events, video resources and webinars on Never Events, and Never Events educational sessions. Studer Group will highlight partner healthcare organizations that have excelled in providing exceptional patient care at their annual “What’s Right in Health Care” conference in Chicago in 2009. Next year’s theme is “Accountability: How Always Leads to Never.”

To view the free videos, familiarize yourself with the 11 hospital-acquired conditions and review the latest evidence on how to prevent them, visit www.studergroup.com/never. The Web site will be updated as new information is made available.

About Studer Group

Studer Group is an outcomes firm that implements evidence-based leadership systems that help hundreds of healthcare organizations attain and sustain outstanding results. Studer Group is devoted to teaching evidence-based tools and tactics that healthcare organizations can immediately use to create and sustain outcomes in clinical, operational and service excellence. www.studergroup.com

 For additional information about Studer Group, please contact: Rebecca Rosfeld Levenson & Brinker Public Relations (o) 214-932-6096 (c) 469-995-4977 [email protected]

SOURCE: Studer Group

Natural Remedies May Help Reader Handle Hashimoto’s

By SUZY COHEN

Question: I’ve had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis for six years and I’ve not been able to get full control of it. My antibodies are still very high and I’m always tired. Any fresh ideas? —

M.G., Ocala, Fla.

Answer: Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder where your body sees your thyroid gland as the enemy and launches an all-out attack. This creates inflammation and destruction of the thyroid gland. It causes an increase in “antithyroid peroxidase,” abbreviated as TPO. This should be measured by your doctor in routine lab tests. Some people have no symptoms while others suffer with disabling fatigue, depression, weight gain, dry skin and hair, muscle cramps, constipation and memory loss. Some people develop a goiter which looks like a hump just below your Adam’s apple.

Physicians prescribe medication in order to raise levels of thyroid hormone: Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Synthroid, Cytomel and Armour Thyroid. The medications don’t suppress the autoimmune attack in your body, but they do increase levels of thyroid hormone quickly. Here are a few natural options.

Selenium: This mineral can lower those TPO antibodies. Try “L- selenomethionine” 200 mcg every day (or 100 mcg twice daily) for 6 months.

Tyrosine: Your body uses tyrosine (and iodine) to make thyroid hormone. Take about 500mg one to four times daily. Excessive tyrosine can speed the heart.

Iodine: You can take iodine supplements such as “Iodoral” or you can use a seaweed that is very rich in trace minerals, especially iodine. It’s called “Bladderwrack,” which is short for Fucus vesiculosus. Use short-term.

Ashwagandha: Also known as Indian ginseng, this herb stimulates thyroid activity; it’s sold at health food stores. Make sure your brand is “standardized.”

Suzy Cohen is the author of “The 24- Hour Pharmacist.” For more information, visit www.tulsaworld.com/DearPharmacist.

Originally published by SUZY COHEN Dear Pharmacist.

(c) 2008 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Fire Ant Protection For Kids

A new report found young kids who have major allergic reactions to fire ant stings can be desensitized in a one-day “rush” protocol.

There’s a risk of repeated stings in regions where imported fire ants are endemic, according to Dr. Michael S. Tankersley who said the one-day protocol, “which can safely reach a protective dose of immunotherapy in a short amount of time, would be a therapeutic option for any-age patient with imported fire ant allergy.”

Tankersley, from Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas and colleagues studied three children 36 months or younger who completed a one-day rapid immunotherapy protocol with imported fire ant whole-body extract.

Researchers say the procedure involves 10 injections of the extract given every 30 or 60 minutes. It starts with a tiny amount and gradually builds up to a full dose so that the child becomes tolerant.

The team reported in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology that none of the three children experienced reactions during the treatment other than some mild redness at the injection sites.

The study found the children who were stung by fire ants several times subsequently did well. However, one who did not keep up with maintenance treatment did have breathing difficulties after being stung.

Tankersley stressed the importance of having people with reactions to fire ant stings see an allergist, “as imported fire ant allergy can be fatal.”

Researchers say immunotherapy provides 95-98 percent protection.

Tankersley pointed out that treatment “is recommended for 3-5 years with monthly maintenance injections provided in the office of an allergist.”

“We have just completed an initial study using this same protocol in adult patients 18 years and older,” Tankersley added.

Image Courtesy Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project

On the Net:

University of Washington to Use Microsoft Amalga to Support Clinical and Translational Research

SEATTLE and REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The University of Washington (UW) will use Microsoft Amalga, the unified intelligence system, in a research protocol designed to provide clinical and translational researchers with faster and more complete access than they previously had to electronic data stored on disparate systems within the university. UW’s Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS), http://www.iths.org/, intends to use Microsoft Amalga to accelerate and improve translational research, which takes medical discoveries from the laboratory into the clinic and out into the community.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Microsoft Amalga addresses a common and critical challenge of healthcare providers by integrating vast amounts of clinical, administrative and financial information that flows in and out of disparate information systems, and tailoring that information for use by researchers, physicians, analysts, laboratory technicians, nurses and administrators. Microsoft Amalga takes advantage of health enterprises’ investments in existing health IT solutions and makes it possible for the entire organization to gain quick access to data and turn that information into critical knowledge that facilitates better decision-making and improved patient outcomes.

In the UW’s complex academic systems, gaining access to aggregate views of data is time- and labor-intensive and hinders translational research with long lags between the time a researcher has a need for a particular data set and when access to the data set is provided.

Microsoft Amalga is designed to provide ITHS researchers with the ability to comprehensively access, search and perform analysis on data stored in UW medical record systems, UW research laboratory systems and study data management systems. For example, subject to institutional review board and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, researchers will be able to quickly assess whether the UW patient population has the numbers to support a study testing a particular hypothesis or if there are new patients eligible for recruitment into a trial. Microsoft Amalga also will enable researchers to prospectively collect study-specific data that is not in the university’s electronic medical record (EMR), collect biological research specimens for the study and link them to the study or patient — under approved research studies with appropriate consent — and generate reports appropriate for biostatistical analyses.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Microsoft in utilizing Amalga, a new technology that opens up access to critical data currently stored in disparate systems, to help improve translational research,” said Dr. Peter Tarczy- Hornoch, division head, Division of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Washington. “The Amalga tool will improve the ability of ITHS to provide our researchers with access to all of the data they need when they need it, allowing them to conduct their work faster and more effectively.”

“We are very pleased to support the technology needs required for the important work being led by one of the leading research institutions in the country,” said Steve Shihadeh, vice president, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. “We anticipate ITHS will gain significant value by using Amalga to aggregate and present information that is vital to its initiatives in translational research.”

Microsoft Amalga is in use at other renowned U.S. healthcare institutions, including District of Columbia Primary Care Association, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Johns Hopkins Health System, Novant Health, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, St. Joseph Health System and the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange.

About University of Washington

The University of Washington is one of the nation’s leading recipients of federal research and training awards. The National Science Foundation in 2005 placed the University of Washington second overall in the nation and first among public institutions in receipt of federal funds for science and engineering. The University has ranked among the top five federally funded research institutions since 1974.

The ITHS is funded in part by the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) and comprises the University of Washington (UW), Children’s Hospital Regional Medical Center, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The goal of the ITHS is to make a positive impact on human health locally and globally through collaboration with academia, industry, nonprofit agencies, government, and local communities. As a member of the CTSA Consortium, the ITHS will work with 60 other select academic medical centers of excellence to transform how clinical and translational research is conducted and enable researchers to provide new treatments more efficiently and quickly to patients.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]

Microsoft Corp.

CONTACT: Caitlin McCabe of Ruder Finn, +1-415-348-2723,[email protected], for Microsoft Corp.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/http://www.iths.org/

Baxa Corporation Announces USP < 797 > Course to Be Hosted at the STAR Center

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Baxa Corporation announces it has signed a hosting agreement with the United States Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention to promote a jointly developed course focused on facility compliance to USP Chapter . The agreement allows Baxa and USP to collaborate on course content and training at the STAR (Skills Training, Academics and Resources) Center continuing education facility in Englewood, Colorado. Members of the USP committee, as well as professional faculty from the STAR Center, will participate as course instructors.

The agreement represents an opportunity for training participants to access USP subject matter experts and receive guided implementation materials. Attendees to the Aseptic Processing and Compliance for USP

course are equipped with the knowledge and references to lead their pharmacies to USP compliance. The program provides 21 hours of continuing education (CE) credit.

The STAR Center, a premier facility designed for cleanroom and pharmacy practice demonstration and training, is located at Baxa Corporation’s world headquarters in the Denver metropolitan area. Baxa built the STAR Center to provide professional education on pharmacy practice, cleanroom principles and compliance to regulatory requirements. Baxa and USP plan to hold 16 sessions of their Compliance Tools for USP course in 2009. The collaboration between the two companies – both of whom hosted similar courses previously at different sites – will provide a comprehensive program for practical compliance with USP in the only purpose-built training facility for pharmacy and cleanroom practice training.

“This agreement, along with the STAR Center facility, offers a unique training opportunity for participants,” states Phil Wettestad, Baxa Pharmacy Operations Manager. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to improve the quality of our existing programs and collaborate on future pharmacy training with USP that meets health-system pharmacy needs.”

As pharmacies across the country continue the work of bringing their facilities up-to-date with the latest USP revisions, Baxa – through its STAR Center training and Productivity and Compliance Tools (PACT) – strives to provide realistic implementation solutions for best practice and regulatory compliance. The USP contribution to the STAR Center course helps ensure that its content is current and accurate. Baxa Corporation is excited to announce this new course, which furthers its commitment to best-in-class pharmacy practice training.

About Baxa Corporation

Baxa, a customer-focused medical device company, provides innovative, solution-based technologies for medication handling and delivery. Its systems and devices promote the safe and efficient preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of medications. Key products include the PadLock(R) Set Saver, Rapid-Fill(TM) Automated Syringe Fillers, Exacta-Med(R) Oral Dispensers, MicroFuse(R) Syringe Infusers, Repeater(TM) Pharmacy Pumps, and Exacta-Mix(TM) Multi-Source Automated Compounders; used worldwide in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Privately held, Baxa Corporation has subsidiaries and sales offices in Canada and the United Kingdom; direct representation in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland; and distribution partners worldwide. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com/.

About the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

USP is a private, non-profit, standards-setting organization that advances public health by helping to ensure the quality and consistency of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements, promoting the safe and proper use of medications, and verifying ingredients in drugs and dietary supplements. Its standards are recognized worldwide. For more information about USP and its public health programs, visit http://www.usp.org/newscenter.

About the STAR Center

The STAR Center is a state-of-the-art cleanroom, pharmacy and training facility located at the Baxa world headquarters in Englewood, Colorado. The center was purpose-built to support training in aseptic technique, pharmacy workflow and practice, cleanroom design and maintenance and USP

compliance among other topics. Classes are taught by industry-recognized subject matter experts. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com/starcenter.

   Contact:   Marian Robinson, Vice President, Marketing   Baxa Corporation:  800.567.2292 ext. 2157 or 303.617.2157   Email:  [email protected]    Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR   Absolutely Public Relations: 303.984.9801 or 303.669.3558   Email: [email protected]    Sandra Kim, Manager, Media Relations USP   USP: 301-816-8241   Email: [email protected]  

Baxa Corporation

CONTACT: Marian Robinson, Vice President, Marketing of Baxa Corporation,1-800-567-2292 ext. 2157, or +1-303-617-2157, [email protected]; orMaggie Chamberlin Holben, APR of Absolutely Public Relations, +1-303-984-9801,or +1-303-669-3558, [email protected]; or Sandra Kim, Manager, MediaRelations of USP, +1-301-816-8241, [email protected]

Web Site: http://www.usp.org/newscenter

Bioheart Announces 35 Leading U.S. Heart Failure Centers Engaged in Phase II/III Marvel Trial of Myogenic Cells for Treating Advanced Heart Failure

SUNRISE, Fla., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Bioheart, Inc., , today announced that 35 of the leading U.S. Heart Failure Centers have engaged in Bioheart’s Phase II/III MARVEL(1) Trial of myogenic cells for treating advanced heart failure.

“With 35 leading heart failure centers engaged, we are making tremendous progress in patient screening and enrollment,” said Dr. Warren Sherman, Principal Investigator and Director, Cardiac Cell-based Endovascular Therapies, Columbia University Medical Center, New York. “We have added nearly 45 patients into our trial in the past three months.”

The MARVEL Trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center Phase II/III Trial involving 330 patients in North America and Europe, is the largest trial of its kind to date. Enrollment in the MARVEL Trial began in October 2007, targeting patients who fall into Class II or III heart failure. The MARVEL Trial is studying the safety and efficacy of MyoCell autologous clinical cell therapy in the treatment of congestive heart failure delivered via a MyoStar(TM) injection catheter(2), in combination with the NOGA(R) XP Cardiac Navigation System. The MyoCell injection process is a minimally invasive procedure which presents less risk and considerably less trauma to a patient than conventional (open) heart surgery.

The trial is designed for an interim look at 150 patients with six-month follow-up. Based on the statistical significance of these interim results, the Company will explore the potential to submit for early commercial approval in the United States. Bioheart is on track to complete enrollment of 150 patients by March 2009, subject to its timely receipt of additional financing and barring any unforeseen changes.

This study has a cell concentration of up to 200 million cells/ml and administers 16 injections per patient, with varying dosing per injection. There are three study groups in the trial, one receiving a total of 800 million cells, one receiving a total of 400 million cells and the third receiving placebo injections. In contrast, previous studies involving MyoCell(R) Therapy had a cell concentration of 50 million cells/ml and administered 32 injections per patient. Animal studies involving MyoCell(R) therapy have suggested increased cell retention, survival and engraftment with the higher concentration of cells and lower number of injections, in part due to lower inflammation response.

“We expect the MARVEL Trial will confirm our current beliefs regarding the safety and efficacy of MyoCell,” said Howard J. Leonhardt, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Bioheart. “Results from our completed Phase I US MYOHEART Trial and Phase II European SEISMIC Trial showed 83-94 percent of the MyoCell(R) treated heart failure patients improved, or did not worsen, in Quality of Life or heart failure class while only 6-17 percent worsened. In comparison, in the SEISMIC Trial control group, 58 percent of the patients that received drugs only improved or did not worsen while 42 percent of such patients worsened.

In October, Bioheart intends to apply for approval to market and reimbursement for MYOCELL(R) Therapy in various countries in Europe for the sickest Class III heart failure patients that continue to deteriorate despite treatment with all currently available therapies applied including drugs, pacers and mechanical assist devices, with no additional therapeutic options.

ABOUT CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE

Congestive heart failure (CHF), or heart failure, is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough oxygenated blood to the body’s vital organs. People with heart failure find that they cannot exert themselves as they become tired and short of breath. Current therapeutic options include palliative medical therapy (symptom-treating medicine), cardiac assist devices or cardiac transplantation. Heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalizations in people over age 65.

ABOUT MYOCELL(R) CLINICAL CELL THERAPY

MyoCell(R) clinical cell therapy, developed by Bioheart, Inc., is currently being studied as an investigational therapy in Europe and the U.S. MyoCell(R) clinical cell therapy is intended to be used to improve cardiac function months or even years after a patient has suffered severe heart damage due to a heart attack. The procedure involves a physician removing a small amount of muscle obtained from the patient’s thigh. From this muscle specimen, autologous myoblasts (muscle stem cells) are then isolated, grown using Bioheart’s proprietary cell-culturing process, and injected directly into the scar tissue of the patient’s heart. The myoblast cells are delivered via an endoventricular needle-injection catheter during a minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional cardiologist or vascular surgeon. The myoblast-based muscle formation in the newly populated regions of scar tissue are intended to improve cardiac function by helping the heart muscle beat more efficiently.

ABOUT BIOHEART, INC.

Bioheart, Inc. is committed to delivering intelligent devices and biologics that help monitor, diagnose and treat heart failure and cardiovascular diseases. Its goals are to improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations. Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage. Its lead product candidate, MyoCell(R), is an innovative clinical muscle-derived stem cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient’s heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. The Company’s pipeline includes multiple product candidates for the treatment of heart damage, including Bioheart Acute Cell Therapy, an autologous, adipose tissue-derived stem cell treatment for acute heart damage, and MyoCell(R) SDF-1, a therapy utilizing autologous cells that are genetically modified to express additional potentially therapeutic growth proteins. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com/.

Footnotes:

(1) MARVEL: A Phase II/III, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Multi-center study to Assess the Safety and Cardiovascular Effects of MyoCell Implantation by a Catheter Delivery System in Congestive Heart Failure Patients Post-Myocardial Infarction(s)

(2) The MYOSTAR(TM) Injection Catheter is not available for sale in the U.S. It is in use in IND investigations

MyoCell and MyoCell SDF-1 are trademarks of Bioheart, Inc.

MyoStar and NOGA XP are trademarks of Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company

Forward Looking Statements:

Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “may”, “will”, “to”, “plan”, “expect”,

“believe”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “could”, “would”, “estimate”, or “continue” or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Investors and others are cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risk factors include, without limitation, (i) our ability to secure additional financing; (ii) the timely success and completion of our clinical trials; (iii) the occurrence of any unacceptable side effects during or after preclinical and clinical testing of our product candidates; (iv) regulatory approval of our product candidates; (v) our dependence on the success of our lead product candidate; (vi) our inability to predict the extent of our future losses or if or when we will become profitable; (vii) our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; (viii) our inability to predict the extent of our future losses or if or when we will become profitable; and (viii) intense competition . The company is also subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section titled “Risk Factors” in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2008 and June 30, 2008.

Bioheart, Inc.

CONTACT: Marty Schildhouse, +1-305-606-3577, or Robert Murphy,+1-908-276-0777, both of The Storch-Murphy Group

Web Site: http://www.bioheartinc.com/

Resurgent Health and Medical Announces That Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Has Ordered 25 CleanTech Automated Handwashing Systems

GOLDEN, Colo. and MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Resurgent Health and Medical, a leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology, announced today that Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has ordered 25 CleanTech IC handwashing systems for its locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The hospitals will have the units located in various hallways for all medical staff, patients and visitors to use.

The CleanTech touchless system performs a fully-automated twelve-second wash, sanitize and rinse cycle. Using Resurgent’s proprietary Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) sanitizing solution, the single cycle removes over 99.9% of pathogens and continues to kill germs for up to six hours. The FDA certified CHG-based sanitizer contains mild skin conditioners to continuously improve skin health while removing dangerous germs.

The system further boosts compliance by ensuring a pleasant, uniform handwash using high-pressure water jets that perform a consistent wash-and-sanitize cycle every time the machines are used.

About Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Serving as Minnesota’s Children’s Hospital(SM) since 1924, we are the eighth-largest children’s health care organization in the United States, with 332 staffed beds at our two hospital campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children’s provides care through over 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits each year. Children’s has been a leader in patient safety and infection prevention and control. For more information, visit Children’s Web site at http://www.childrensmn.org/ .

About Resurgent Health & Medical

Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art employee hygiene technologies to hospitals and healthcare facilities that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the healthcare industry. Our patented CleanTech(R) infection prevention technology brings science and precision to the process of removing dangerous microbes from employee hands. For almost 20 years, its CleanTech(R) brand systems have been used worldwide in agriculture, food processing, food service, cleanroom manufacturing and healthcare. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization. For more information, visit http://www.resurgenthealth.com/

Resurgent Health and Medical

CONTACT: Ronnie Welch, [email protected] or Kelly Cinelli,[email protected], both for Resurgent Health and Medical, +1-508-222-4802

Web site: http://www.childrensmn.org/http://www.resurgenthealth.com/

Honeywell’s Remote Monitoring Solutions Help Reduce Rehospitalizations and Duration of Hospital Stays for Patients

BROOKFIELD, Wis., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Honeywell HomMed LifeStream(TM) Remote Patient Care System has been selected by Carolinas HealthCare System for its new network-wide telemonitoring program. As part of its implementation of the LifeStream(TM) System, Carolinas HealthCare System purchased 360 Genesis(R) DM Telehealth Monitors for the program, running across six counties, which aims to improve patient outcomes, reduce rehospitalizations and decrease the duration of hospital stays for patients.

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The Genesis(R) DM, a 2008 gold winner of the Medical Design Excellence Award, is specifically designed to be integrated with the Web-based LifeStream(R) system and contains one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use remote biometric and symptom evaluations available. Honeywell’s Remote Patient Care System is part of HomMed’s LifeStream(TM) ecosystem, a comprehensive telehealth platform which integrates patient facing devices; software applications and disease management content; and related services to provide a total telehealth solution optimizing patient and financial outcomes, while improving standardization and quality of care.

“When used as part of a comprehensive program like Carolinas HealthCare System’s, the innovative technologies of the LifeStream(TM) Remote Patient Care System and, the Genesis(R) DM Telehealth Monitor, enable better outcomes for patients through regular monitoring and preventive intervention,” said Terry Duesterhoeft, vice president of sales and marketing for Honeywell HomMed. “Additionally, these technologies help reduce escalating healthcare costs by reducing the amount of time patients may spend in hospitals and managing their re-entry.”

Carolinas HealthCare System, an integrated delivery network (IDN) of 23 hospitals throughout North and South Carolina, is currently rolling out the telemonitoring program. It will be used by hospitals in the IDN with home care services including Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC; Carolinas Medical Center — Lincoln in Lincolnton, NC; Carolinas Medical Center — Union in Monroe, NC; Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Shelby, NC; Wilkes Regional Medical Center in North Wilkesboro, NC; and Blue Ridge HealthCare System in Valdese, NC.

“Our new telehealth monitoring program will improve readmission rates, reduce the number of visits per episode and increase efficiency across our expanding network geography,” said Connie Bonebrake, vice president for Post Acute Care Services, Carolinas HealthCare System. “Having all the agencies of Carolinas HealthCare System using the same Honeywell System will allow us to share our expertise and experiences, compare results and leverage the successes of the program throughout the region.”

Most patients in the telehealth monitoring program suffer from chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes or other chronic conditions. These patients are set up with an in-home Genesis(R) DM Telehealth Monitor, which measures information such as weight, blood pressure, and any daily change in health conditions. This information is transferred securely from the home monitor to the patient’s health care provider for analysis and identification of any potential problems.

“In a pilot program, a patient who was regularly admitted to the hospital experienced no additional readmissions after one year on the monitor,” said Marla Nutting, administrator for Blue Ridge Home HealthCare in the Carolinas HealthCare System. “This wasn’t an isolated success. Over the last five years, working with the Honeywell System has generated a return on investment of 500 percent for us, when considering the costs that would have incurred from readmissions and the savings generated by improved care and efficiency.”

For more information about Honeywell HomMed’s Remote Patient Care System, visit http://www.hommed.com/.

Honeywell International is a $38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit http://www.honeywell.com/.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Honeywell International

CONTACT: Herly Karlen of Honeywell International, +1-262-252-5847,[email protected]

Web site: http://www.honeywell.com/http://www.hommed.com/

WellPoint NextRx Appoints Tracy Nolan As Vice President

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — WellPoint NextRx, an independent pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and the nation’s largest health-plan-owned PBM, today announced the appointment of Tracy Nolan as vice president of its Specialty Pharmacy.

In his new role, Nolan will be responsible for NextRx’s Specialty Pharmacy strategy and operations, including medication dispensing and customized care coordination.

NextRx’s Specialty Pharmacy has an extensive support program that promotes collaboration between physicians and pharmacists to effectively manage a participant’s medication and condition. The medications handled by the pharmacy are typically used for treating chronic diseases and often must be delivered through injection or infusion, many requiring special handling including temperature-moderating containers.

“Tracy brings a great depth of industry experience to the specialty pharmacy leadership role,” said Renwyck Elder, president of WellPoint NextRx, a division of WellPoint, Inc. “There is a growing need for specialty medications, which include new biotech drugs, to treat debilitating diseases, such as hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C, and many types of cancer. Tracy’s previous operations and pharmacy background make him a great fit for Specialty Pharmacy.”

Nolan most recently served as chief executive officer of Indiana-based TGX Medical Systems where he oversaw strategic development for the medical asset software solutions developer. Nolan also brings extensive logistics experience to NextRx with his 14 years managing various sites and operations at Fed Ex.

Nolan’s previous experience as vice president of operations of pharmacy services and vendor relationships at Drugstore.com and as a vice president and general manager for the mail service division at Merck & Co. Inc./Medco Health Solutions Inc., complement his previous WellPoint experience as vice president of pharmacy and customer service operations for WellPoint Health Networks in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Prior to TGX, Nolan served as chief operating officer and executive vice president for Florida-based Priority Healthcare where he was responsible for all specialty pharmacy operations, information technology, human resources and clinical operations.

About WellPoint NextRx

WellPoint NextRx is a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) that assists health plans, employer groups and third party administrators to target a reduction in total health care costs and improve health outcomes. WellPoint NextRx provides extensive PBM services including claims processing, clinical and disease management programs, retail network, mail and specialty pharmacy, customer service, and rebate management. With roots that date back to the 1980s, WellPoint NextRx’s mission to enhance health by making sure people have access to quality, affordable pharmacy benefits. http://www.wellpointnextrx.com/ .

WellPoint NextRx is a service mark of WellPoint, Inc. Services are provided by a WellPoint PBM (either NextRx Services, Inc. or NextRx, LLC, as applicable). WellPoint NextRx is a division of WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint NextRx

CONTACT: Lori McLaughlin, Public Relations Director, WellPoint NextRx,+1-317-488-6898, [email protected]

Web site: http://www.wellpoint.com/http://www.wellpointnextrx.com/

CombiMatrix Launches Two New Array-Based Diagnostic Tests

MUKILTEO, Wash., Sept. 30, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CombiMatrix Corporation (Nasdaq:CBMX) announced today the launch of two new array-based diagnostic tests, adding to its leading and growing portfolio of tests. These new tests augment each other and demonstrate levels of multiplexing and personalization that are unprecedented in the industry. The tests will be operated out of its wholly owned laboratory in Irvine, California, CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics.

The first test is an update of the Bac HD Scan 2500(tm) to the Bac HD Scan 2700(tm) test, which will now and furthermore be referred to as the “Bac HD Scan(tm)” test. The previous version of this test was designed to identify up to 125 genetic syndromes and disorders that are the cause of developmental problems in children. Some of the syndromes identified by this test include Down (Trisomy 21), Prader-Willi, Smith Magenis, Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, and DiGeorge Syndromes, to name just a few. The newly launched, updated version of this test now increases the number of specific genetic syndromes tested for, to over 220. Moreover, because of the whole-genome coverage of this array, numerous clinically relevant non-syndromic genomic abnormalities can also be simultaneously identified. This level of multiplexing has never been demonstrated before in any diagnostic situation.

“The speed with which CombiMatrix has been able to expand the capability of this test again underscores the flexible and adaptable nature of our technology,” stated Dr. Mansoor Mohammed, President and CEO of CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics. “We will continue to update our tests as more genetic information and knowledge becomes available in this rapidly advancing field. Our goal is to remain at the forefront of translational genomics and personalized diagnostics to provide the very best and clinically prudent tests for our patients and physicians.”

In addition to the new Bac HD Scan test, an additional product — the Zoom-in(tm) array test — has been launched. This test is used in conjunction with CombiMatrix’s other array tests to provide an even higher-resolution sequence analysis of the genetic aberration in question. In many cases, while identifying the initial genetic aberration is valuable for patient management, finding specific detail about the exact site of the aberration, the size, the extent, and sequence, can provide even more value for the attending physician and, ultimately, for the patient. Our previously launched tests are specific array designs that analyze a patient’s genome to identify genetic factors that enable personalized medical decisions. Each of these arrays is the same for all patients, and the analytical information is the personalized result. The Zoom-in test is an array that is uniquely, and individually, designed and built for each patient. Upon identification of a genomic aberration or aberrations with one of our current array tests, a new array is built using CombiMatrix’s CustomArray(r) 12K(tm), which is designed to interrogate the aberration with the power of 12 thousand customizable oligonucleotide probes. The probes are designed such that they “zoom in” specifically on the aberrant areas, providing unprecedented resolution in those areas. The ability to build this new array on demand, in a time-expedient manner consistent with diagnostic expectations, is unique to CombiMatrix by virtue of its bench-top CustomArray B3 Synthesizer(tm). In this mode, the Zoom-in test enables the creation of a unique array for EVERY SINGLE patient. This level of personalization has never been achieved before and is at the forefront of genomic medicine. As an example, once a patient has been evaluated with Bac HD Scan test, or any of CombMatrix’s other diagnostic arrays, a physician can now order the Zoom-in test to gain an unprecedented understanding of the genomic cause of the disease or disorder. It must be noted that the Zoom-in test is the first and ONLY array motif that allows a physician to achieve clinically relevant high-genome resolution, in a patient-specific manner, without the concerns of the surplus of genomic information that plagues other ultra-high-density oligo-array platforms.

Dr. Amit Kumar, President and CEO of CombiMatrix noted, “Our continued innovation of array-based genetic testing is enabling approaches to patient management that is unsurpassed. We have built the broadest portfolio of array-based diagnostics by far. In fact, our portfolio includes more diagnostic tests than the sum of tests from all array companies combined. We are extremely proud of this achievement and hope to maintain our lead. In addition to these products, we have committed to the launch of a prostate cancer test by the end of this year, and shortly we will disclose and discuss another revolutionary product that is currently in the R&D pipeline.”

ABOUT COMBIMATRIX CORPORATION

CombiMatrix Corporation is a diversified biotechnology business, through the development of proprietary technologies, products and services in the areas of drug development, genetic analysis, molecular diagnostics, nanotechnology research, defense and homeland security markets, as well as other potential markets where our products and services could be utilized. The technologies we have developed include a platform technology to rapidly produce customizable, in-situ synthesized, oligonucleotide arrays for use in identifying and determining the roles of genes, gene mutations and proteins. This technology has a wide range of potential applications in the areas of genomics, proteomics, biosensors, drug discovery, drug development, diagnostics, combinatorial chemistry, material sciences and nanotechnology. Other technologies include proprietary molecular synthesis and screening methods for the discovery of potential new drugs. CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. (“CMDX”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company located in Irvine, California, has developed capabilities of producing arrays that utilize bacterial artificial chromosomes, which also enable genetic analysis.

Additional information about CombiMatrix Corporation is available at www.combimatrix.com or call toll free: 1-800-710-0624.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including the recent economic slowdown affecting technology companies, our ability to successfully develop products, rapid technological change in our markets, changes in demand for our future products, legislative, regulatory, and competitive developments, and general economic conditions. Our Annual Report, recent and forthcoming Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Forms 8-K and 8-K/A, and other SEC filings discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

 CONTACT:  CombiMatrix Corporation           Amit Kumar, President & CEO           (425) 493-2000           Fax (425) 493-2010